Chuck vrs The Unknown
by mssupertigz
Summary: Chuck's life had always been full of unpredicatable moments, full of the unknown, full of alot of what if's - nothing seemed to go the way it should have until one Sarah Walker entered the picture, but would this be enough.
1. Chapter 1

**Chuck vrs The Unknown**

**Chuck n' Sarah**

**Chapter 1 - 4 seconds that changed one man's life**

Chuck's life literally flashed before his eyes as he watched the bomb's timer count down. In the distance he heard Sarah trying to convince him to leave the warehouse but when he focused on her face again he knew he couldn't do it even if she did have her gun pointed in his face. He had no idea where his courage was coming from, he just knew that he couldn't leave Sarah on her own with the bomb.

Sarah knew that any attempt to have a relationship with her asset was against CIA protocol. She'd promised herself over and over again that she wouldn't let her guard down or allow herself to have feelings again for someone she worked with. Love and relationships had never been her strong suit. Her whole life had been one of broken relationships; first with her mother then her father and finally with Bryce but being assigned as Chuck's handler had changed everything. He'd shown her what it was like to have a normal life with people who cared about you. His affectionate caring ways had broken through her barriers and she needed to know if what she felt for him was real. She needed to feel him for the very last time even it was the first time then she could die happy.

Chuck took one last look at his future or rather at the woman he'd hoped would be his future then drew his last breathe, closed his eyes and prepared to meet his maker.

Sarah leaned in and placed her lips on Chuck's infusing all the passion that she felt for him into the kiss.

Surprised, Chuck's eyes flew open. He didn't have time to think about what was happening and eagerly returned Sarah's kiss.

Sarah placed her left hand around his head and pulled him closer refusing to give in to the doubts that immediately surfaced telling her that this wasn't a good idea. She didn't care. If she was going to die then she wanted to at least know what it was like to kiss Chuck.

Chuck placed his left arm around her back and brought her closer, he too needed to feel her all of her. They kissed passionately holding each other close then Chuck swooped in for one last taste of Sarah's lips.

Sarah grabbed his shirt collar and returned his kiss with fervour then quickly as the kiss started it ended.

Chuck's lips lingered on Sarah's as she released her grip on his shirt trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

Sarah stepped back shocked and confused as to why the bomb hadn't exploded then came the realization that she would have to explain to Chuck why she'd kissed him.

Chuck looked at the bomb then at Sarah more confused than ever despite that he didn't regret what had just happened between them.

The silence in the warehouse turned into chaos as an army of soldiers rushed into the room followed closely by Casey. Sarah and Chuck looked at each other not sure how to react then the moment was over.

Casey stopped in front of them. "Walker, Bartowski you guys okay?"

Sarah looked up at Casey, paused then gave Chuck a look of apology. "Yeah, we're fine."

"We're good," Chuck said trying to act casual.

"Man, you're lucky," Casey said, oblivious to the undercurrent between Chuck and Sarah. "You guys and bombs seem to becoming a common theme but it looks like nothing can come between you."

"Thanks Casey." Sarah glanced at Chuck, swallowed hard then before he could say anything she headed toward the exit and left the warehouse.

Chuck just stood there staring after Sarah trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

Casey finished gathering Intel from the army personnel then drove Chuck back to Castle.

**Castle, Burbank**

Sarah, Casey and Chuck stood in front of the screen for the debrief with General Beckman. Sarah had just wrapped up her report and wondered how much Chuck would tell the General about what had happened in the warehouse.

Chuck's palms started to sweat and he wiped them on his pants. He gave the General his version of the events that led up to the discovery of the bomb in the warehouse.

"What what happened when you couldn't defuse the bomb?" General Beckman inquired.

Chuck looked at Sarah then back at Beckman. He knew he was purposely wasting time and fumbled on his words.

"Well Chuck?"

"After the timer started counting down and I couldn't defuse the bomb, Sarah, I mean ..." Chuck took one last look at Sarah. She had the same lost lonely sorry look he'd seen in the warehouse and his heart melted. "Agent Walker shielded me from the bomb when she thought it was going to explode. She was just doing her job and protecting the intersect." He closed his eyes hating that he'd directly lied to his boss.

'She was doing her job' burned through Sarah's heart like lemon juice on a cut. She knew that Chuck wouldn't tell Beckman the truth because he didn't want her to lose her job. If what really happened at the warehouse ever came out they both would lose more than what that one kiss had ignited between them.

"All right team, very well then. Until we have more Intel you're dismissed. Report back to Castle at 08:00 hours. Hopefully by then we'll have more to report and you can start your mission from there. Good night team!"

"Good night General," all three chided.

Casey grabbed Chuck's shoulder. "Okay moron, are you ready to go or do you want Walker to drive you home?"

Chuck looked at Casey then back to Sarah who casually looked down to avoid Chuck's eyes. "My place is out of Sarah's way so it's probably easier if I go with you." He glanced at her. "Good night Agent Walker." As he headed for the stairs he felt Sarah's arm lightly brush against his and it sent shockwaves through his system. He was already on an emotional high from the kiss in the warehouse so any skin on skin contact just added fuel to the slow fire that was already burning in his body.

"Good night Chuck," Sarah said softly then let her arm fall to her side.

Casey grunted and knew something was up but he couldn't put his finger on it. Chuck never used Walker's full title unless there was something going on or in this case something brewing between them. Maybe it was the fact that they almost died tonight and being the night it was Chuck was just addressing formalities of the job.

**Sarah's Hotel room**

**04:00**

Sarah had only just gotten to sleep when she heard her phone vibrating. She rolled over, grabbed it off the nightstand and read the message.

'_Report__to__the__warehouse__immediately.__Do__not__bring__the__asset.'_

Sarah jumped out of bed, grabbed some clothes, her gun, keys and her phone and headed out to her car.

Sergeant Murphy from the CIA's bomb squad turned to Sarah when she entered the warehouse. "Agent Walker, thanks for coming."

"No problem but why the call sir?" Sarah walked over to stand beside Casey.

"We've determined that the capsule isn't a bomb. It has an oxygen-triggered sensor that was counting down. We don't believe it's a threat to anyone. I thought you'd like to be present when we open it to find out what's inside."

"Thank you," Sarah replied. _Why__don't__they__need__the__intersect?_

Casey leaned over to her and whispered the exact same question in her ear. She looked at him and shrugged.

"It's a go Sergeant." A young computer whiz soldier got up from his chair and exited the area. Soldiers pulled and unhinged the crate that encased the capsule. The soldier pressed a control on his keyboard and the capsule opened. Once the oxygen gases escaped and subsided they were all able to take a better look at what was inside. It was not what anyone expected especially Sarah and Casey. There laid Bryce Larkin, the man whom Casey had supposedly shot dead and Sarah's ex-lover/partner.

Sarah took a step back and her hand flew to her mouth. She didn't need this now. Not after what had happened with Chuck. Instantly her walls enclosed around her once again.

**Castle, Burbank**

Chuck arrived at Castle to an empty room. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 7:58 a.m. He checked his cell which confirmed that the time on his watch was indeed correct so where were Sarah and Casey? _Was__he__supposed__to__drive__Casey?_ He sat down with his coffee and waited. As he took a sip of his coffee he noticed the door of Orange Orange open and he watched as Sarah and Casey, worse for wear, walked towards him. "Where! What happened to you guys? It looks like you've been up all night."

"That's right Chuck," Casey interjected.

Chuck stood up from where he was sitting.

"How come I wasn't called? Did you guys forget to let me know you had a mission?"

Sarah looked at Chuck. "We were asked not to include you till we had enough information - it wasn't intentional."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Chuck asked, his voice laced with suspicion as he stood up. "Lately you two seem to be making a habit of not including me in your missions. You're always telling me to stay in the car, which by the way is not always the safest or the best call to make to…."

"Chuck stop!" Sarah interjected. "Bryce is alive!"

"W-h-a-t?"

General Beckman appeared on the screen. "That's right Chuck, Agent Larkin is alive however, he hasn't regained consciousness since they removed him from the capsule."

Chuck sat down and ran his hand through his hair hardly able to believe what he was hearing.

Beckman regarded them with a stern look. "Team please sit down."

Casey and Sarah grabbed a chair. Chuck glanced at Sarah still dumbfounded and speechless.

"I know that you're all shocked, as was I when I got the word from Major Casey an hour ago. We believed that Agent Larkin was dead. The CIA agents who obtained Bryce's spy will after his death assured us that they had acted in accordance with his last wishes and cremated him."

_Sarah hadn't known about Bryce's spy will and it surprised her that she hadn't been the one to receive that information after all she had been his partner. She realized now that she and Bryce hadn't been as close as she'd thought they were and it reaffirmed the decision she'd made to end their personal relationship over a year and half ago. She had been sad when she'd heard that Bryce was dead but she was more worried and scared now that she knew he was alive._

"We've ascertained that Agent Larkin was captured during transportation to our CIA morgue. Major Casey believes that when he signed Agent Larkin's body over to the morgue, he was signing it over to the right people. The people involved in last night's shoot out at the warehouse were hired by a man named Tommy. Agent Walker, Major Casey I want you to head over to the unit where they have Agent Larkin in custody."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "Custody?"

Chuck glanced at her then back at Beckman. "Why would Bryce be in custody?"

"We believe that Agent Larkin is a rogue agent. Protocol dictates that we take precautions to detain him until he can prove his innocence."

"But General this is Bryce Larkin, Bryce Larkin from Connecticut, my roommate in college, my best friend."

"Sorry Chuck but those are the rules. I will report back in a few hours." Beckman disconnected the call and the screen went blank.

Chuck stared at the screen with an equally blank look on his face.

Sarah slid her chair closer to Chuck's wanting more than anything to hold him but she knew she couldn't risk allowing her own feelings for him to show.

Chuck put in head in hands.

Sarah's heart went out to him and she glanced around the room to make sure Casey wasn't around then she placed her hand on Chuck's shoulder, caressing and rubbing his back at the same time. She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.

Chuck reached up to touch Sarah's face to acknowledge that he appreciated the gesture but as he held her cheek in the palm of his hand a noise in the background startled them both and as quickly as the moment appeared it was gone again.

Sarah quickly removed her hand and stood up. "Chuck we better get to work if we want any resolution to what's happened in the last 24 hours."

_What was Sarah saying? Did she mean to say what she said? Did she want to forget what happened or did she want to move on and continue what happened between them in the warehouse? Who was he fooling except himself and his thoughts? There was no way that she wanted to pursue 'this', what ever 'this' was._

**Bartowski Residence, Burbank**

Chuck was getting good at 'faking it' or following a script as he'd once said to Casey when they had talked about Sarah and their 'fake relationship'. He knew the drill, he knew what role to play and he knew his place. He knew what lines to say and delivered them on cue every time. His life was like a scripted play 24 hours a day and for all intents and purposes he and Sarah were just simply actors playing their parts in the movie 'Bartowski vs the Intersect'.

Chuck strolled into his kitchen and grabbed his morning coffee. He started to pour himself a cup then noticed Sarah sitting at his table although he had no idea how long she'd been there. He put his cup down. "You know I may be dreaming here because lately I've been having very vivid dreams and I swear that this could be one of them."

Sarah stood up and walked over to where Chuck was standing. "Sorry to burst your bubble but you're not dreaming, this is very real."

Sarah's face was a far more welcoming sight than Casey's first thing in the morning but Chuck could tell that this wasn't a social visit. "So Agent Walker, what warrants a visit so early in the morning? Don't you sleep?" he asked in a slightly harsh tone.

"Chuck, you don't need to sound so harsh."

Chuck reached for his coffee. "Oh sorry S –A, Agent Walker if my tone portrays that to you."

"You don't need to call me Agent Walker either so why are you?"

Chuck walked over the table not wanting to answer Sarah's question so he asked one of his own.

"What brings you here Sarah?"

Sarah grabbed the chair across from Chuck to put some space between them. "I want to talk to you about last night."

"Yes last night. You know there was a lot going on and we didn't …."

"Chuck, Bryce is alive remember!"

He tried not to look disappointed. "Oh you want to talk about Bryce."

"Now that Bryce is alive we have lot of questions and we hope that he has the answers."

Chuck couldn't help asking, "But what about the other stuff?"

She frowned. "What other stuff?"

Chuck shrugged and gave Sarah a defeated look. "Nothing, forget I mentioned it."

"Our main concern is finding out why Bryce was kept alive and why he sent the intersect to you. The quicker we find out why he sent it to you, the sooner you can get the intersect out of your head and go back to a normal life. Isn't that what you want?"

Before last night Chuck had dreamed of getting rid of the intersect but after what happened with Sarah he was starting to have doubts. "A lot has changed since Bryce sent me the email. We've evolved and I'd like to pursue those …."

Sarah knew where Chuck was going with his explanation. "Chuck, we need to focus on what's important here and that is you and the safety of the intersect. This is not the time to get distracted. We need to focus on the mission at hand. Do you understand Chuck?"

Chuck took one last gulp of his coffee and let out a huge sigh. "Yeah, I am getting good at following my lines and acting like I'm supposed to." He stood up. "Is there anything more Sarah? If not then I'm going to get ready for work. Or perhaps you'd like to discuss the other thing that we're not supposed to talk about?

She didn't reply.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Chuck said. "Nothing else matters except the mission and Bryce."

Sarah got up and walked over to the door. "Chuck!"

He turned around.

She gave him a smile in an effort to break the tension between them. "We'll talk later?"

Chuck was starting to recognize her expressions but he was also aware that she guarded her real feelings very closely so he knew that whatever he saw wasn't the whole story. She was a good actress which was probably why Langston Graham had taken her under his wing. She could fool anyone where as he struggled to keep his emotions under wraps at the best of times and especially where Sarah was concerned. Chuck smiled at her. "If you want to talk you know where to find me."

The warm look in his eyes pulled at Sarah's heartstrings. He was slowly chipping away at her walls. She felt safe with him and knew that she could talk to him about anything but she refused to acknowledge those feelings because she was scared and because she knew it would take them down a road neither of them were ready or able to go. Chuck wanted to talk about the kiss but she couldn't allow herself to get distracted with personal matters now that Bryce was back. She needed to stay focused on her job and protecting Chuck.

CIA Medical Base, Los Angeles "I told you a million times I don't know why Tommy took me other than because of what I told him."

"Which was?" Langston Graham inquired.

"After I left DNI and bumped into John Casey I thought that was it. All I felt was a bullet hitting my chest and the next thing I remember is being shocked by some doctor in a room that wasn't very well lit. People were standing around me talking very fast but not in English ... I think they were speaking German. Tommy leaned in and yelled 'Where 's the intersect Bryce?' I tried to fight it but I finally gave in and told him the intersect with in me. The last thing I heard was Tommy telling them to keep me alive at all costs then I woke up here talking to you."

"Sounds like you're not telling me the truth."

Bryce tried to sit up in his hospital bed but the restraints restricted his movements.

Graham gave him a wry smile. "Did you think that we wouldn't take the necessary precautions to detain you now that we have you in our custody? You may have fooled us when you took the cipher, downloaded the information and sent it to Mr. Bartowski but I can assure you it won't happen again. We have a situation where Tommy knows we have you in our custody and he still thinks that you're the intersect. Mr. Bartowski wants to get the intersect out of his head and until we decide how to proceed you will remain in detention. I would imagine that your friend would very much like to know why you chose to send the intersect to him and I know we're all very curious." Graham placed his hand on Bryce's shoulder giving it a tight squeeze. "Don't think that you're getting out of here too soon so rest up Agent Larkin."

Bryce looked up at Graham. "I need to speak to Chuck."

"Chuck!" Graham chuckled. "How fitting. You ruin your friend's future and now you want to talk him. This ought to be good. I'll see what I can do."

**Castle, Burbank**

The team sat around the conference table waiting for General Beckman to report back to them. Suddenly the screen chirped and Beckman via Langston Graham appeared on the screen. "Good morning team, I just finished debriefing with Director Graham. He has spoke to Agent Larkin so I'll let him fill you in on the details."

Graham appeared at Beckman's side. "Major Casey, Agent Walker, Mr. Bartowski good to see you."

The team acknowledged the Director with a nod.

"We have Agent Larkin in custody at our CIA medical facility in LA. All we know is this…." He explained what Bryce told him. "Also Larkin has asked to see Mr. Bartowski."

Chuck straightened in his seat suddenly very interested in the conversation.

Sarah leaned forward resting her hands on the table. "Is this a good idea sir?"

"I know that it's asking a lot of you," Graham said directing his gaze to Chuck.

"No it's not!"

Sarah glanced at him. "Chuck!"

"Sarah, it's ok. Maybe I can get some questions answered. How hard can it be?"

She shook her head. "He's a trained CIA agent known for anything. He can h-u."

Chuck stood up. "When can I see him?"

Graham nodded. "Very well Mr. Bartowski, I'll set something up for this afternoon."

General Beckman looked at Chuck. "Mr. Bartowski ... Chuck ... Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes General unless there's something you're not telling me."

"Whoever put Bryce in that capsule will be coming after him and when they discover that he's not the intersect they won't stop until they find out the truth. Agent Walker will accompany you to see Agent Larkin this afternoon then I'm ordering 24 hour protective detail. I am not taking any chances with Mr. Larkin, whether he's in custody or not. Your mission is to find out who kept him alive." She turned to look at Casey. "Major, I need you to follow up on who took Larkin after you signed his body over."

Casey nodded. "I'll report to you when I know something." He turned and headed for the stairs.

Beckman directed her gaze back to Sarah. "Agent Walker I need you to stay by Chuck's side twenty four hours a day. Whatever arises you need to be agent-ready. Nothing can come between you and the asset. We have to play this by the book, follow protocol and hopefully ascertain why Agent Larkin sent Chuck the intersect. If we don't get this right Chuck will be stuck with the intersect in his head forever. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes General." Sarah slumped into her chair.

"Good luck Chuck."

"Thanks General."

"You're dismissed."

Sarah didn't like following protocol when it came to Bryce. He didn't play by the rules so the only way to get to him was to beat him at his own game.

**CIA Medical Facility, LA**

Graham sent a car to collect Chuck and Sarah and they sat in silence as they drove to the CIA medical facility.

Sarah could tell that Chuck was nervous because he kept running his hands through his hair then wiping them on his pants. She grabbed his hand and held it in hers.

Nothing was said nothing needed to be said but what was happening now in the backseat of the car just added to the complicated mess that was building up between them.

When they reached the facility Chuck and Sarah signed in and walked with armed guards down a long hallway to a secure wing of the unit. The security guard buzzed the two of them in.

"Wow, I've never been in a place like this. You see these places on TV ... it's like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with Jack Nicholson. Oh look there's a Nurse Ratchet but better looking. Sarah did you see that movie?"

She shook her head. "Chuck focus, will you."

"Oh! Yes the job," he said clamping his mouth shut.

Sarah disliked it when he said things like that but she didn't help when Chuck started to ramble. She knew why he rambled. She knew every time that Chuck was put into a predicament and unsure of things he would ramble (mostly about pop culture, travel, history, and nonsense tidbits) and she would shoot him down. When they reached Bryce's room Sarah walked into the attached double paned room that had ample view into Bryce's room.

Chuck looked at Sarah as she stared at Bryce. She just stared at her ex-partner/ ex-lover and he could tell by the look that she gave Bryce that there was more to it. The expression on her face was one she had given Chuck and disappointed he looked away. Why would Bryce get that look when it was meant for him? Unless Bryce meant something more to Sarah than was letting on.

Sarah could see that her staring at Bryce was making Chuck very uncomfortable. "So!" she said trying to break the tension in the room. "Are you ready?"

Chuck didn't reply and continued to stare at Bryce through the one-way glass.

She touched his arm. "Chuck, I'll be right here."

"I'll be ok ... better get this over with …" Chuck pressed the button, the door slid open and he walked towards Bryce's bed.

"Who's there?" Bryce muttered trying to focus on the person walking toward him.

"Hey Buddy, it's Chuck. You wanted to talk to me?"

"Prove it!"

"Prove it?" Chuck looked confused for a moment then he said. "You've got the nerve to ask me that after what you did to me."

Bryce looked up and focussed again, this time he gave Chuck a slight smile. "I know it's you. I was going to test you by asking you to speak Klingon but the way you attested that you were in fact the right Chuck I'll save you from that particular embarrassment."

"Oh thank you for being so caring, I didn't think you had it in you." Chuck replied, sarcasm lacing his tone. "So, why now Bryce? Why do you want to talk to me? You could have talked to me many times before this so why now? Why did you send me the email?"

"It's complicated."

"Complicated! No kidding!" Chuck sighed. "I'm not in the mood for anymore of your jokes Bryce so just tell me the truth. Why did you do it?"

Bryce ignored his questions. "You doing ok with it? Is it working? How does it work?"

"I'm here to ask you questions not the other way around."

"Come on Chuck, do you think it's an accident that you're here? Far from it."

Sarah burst into the room. "What are you talking about?"

Bryce did a double-take. "Sarah what are you doing here?"

"She's here for me Bryce. She was assigned to protect me after you sent me the intersect."

"Sarah, how? Why you?"

"That's not important. We need to know why you sent Chuck the intersect and why this guy Tommy is after you?"

"It's complicated."

"If it's so complicated then maybe telling us something useful will make it less complicated," Sarah replied.

"I don't know what to say. I was working on a project called SANDSTORM."

Chuck instantly flashed on the words Sandstorm. Tommy and several other bad men were linked to an organization called Fulcrum.

"Fulcrum!" Chuck yelled.

Sarah looked at him. "Did you just flash?"

"Yeah!"

Bryce's eyes darted to Chuck. "Does it always work that fast?"

Chuck nodded.

"Wow man, that must be cool!"

Sarah knew that it wasn't a blessing and tried not to make it worse for Chuck. "Bryce, what is Fulcrum and why do they want the intersect?"

"When I was leaving the DNI I got word that a small group of CIA agents weren't happy with how the CIA were handling the organization. They wanted to build their own intersect to change how things were done and how agents operated.

When I heard that government had ordered the CIA/NSA to share their Intel after 9-11 I found out that this small group of agents wanted to use it for other less noble purposes. I knew that the only way to stop them was to get rid of the intersect in order to keep the secrets safe. The only person I knew who could keep it safe and who I could trust was …."

"Me?" Chuck interjected. "That was very thoughtful of you."

"I was told that if I gave you the intersect all of our secrets would be safe and that the right CIA would send the right agents to protect you and they did."

"That still doesn't explain why Chuck has to be burden with this," Sarah replied.

Chuck's brow furrowed. "Who is this other person?"

Bryce looked confused for a moment. "What other person?"

"You said that this person told you to send me the Intel. Do they have a name?"

"It doesn't matter now. All that's important is capturing Tommy so that this branch of CIA agents don't get their hands on the secrets. We can't let them find out that you're the intersect."

Sarah took a step closer to Bryce. "You need to tell Director Graham what you told us."

"I can't and won't," Bryce said shaking his head. "I've told him enough as it is. I don't trust him. I only trust the two of you."

"I'm happy for you that you trust us," Sarah replied. "But what about Tommy? It won't take him long to figure out that you're still alive and the CIA have you in custody."

No sooner than Sarah took a breath when they heard a ruckus outside. She didn't have her weapon with her so she grabbed a syringe from the tray next to Bryce, slowly walked toward the door and opened it. The hall was empty which in itself wasn't strange considering that patients were strapped in their rooms but there was an eerie feeling in the start white corridor and Sarah's sixth sense kicked in big time. She grabbed Chuck's arm. "We need to get you out of here. Let's go."

"Sarah, we can't leave Bryce here."

"Why not?"

Bryce chuckled. "That's a little harsh even for you Agent Walker."

"I don't care!" she replied. "What you did to Chuck is a far cry from having you sit here and weasel your way out of Tommy knowing that you lied the whole time. You'd wished Casey actually finished the job."

Chuck walked over to Bryce and ripped opened the Velcro straps that bound his wrists to the bed.

Bryce smiled and headed to the door.

Sarah looked from Bryce to Chuck then said, "I'm in charge!" She led them out of the room.

Chuck walked closely behind her. He wasn't taking any chances with Bryce until he was sure that his story was legit. He trusted him but after what had happened with the intersect he no longer trusted him with his life.

Sarah and Bryce quickly picked up where they left off at partners a year and half ago. Their instincts and training kicked in, they located two security guards, snuck up behind them and knocked them out. They grabbed their guns and headed north out of the unit. They approached the doors where Chuck and Sarah had signed in earlier only to find the area deserted. They hopped the desk and headed towards the exit but as they approached the door a voice caught both Chuck and Bryce's attention. The voice was familiar to Bryce and Chuck flashed on voice recognition revealing the owner of the voice to him. All three looked up and saw Tommy standing near the staircase. Sarah motioned for Chuck to stand back and get ready to run on her signal.

"Bryce!" Tommy called. "Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye? You haven't even introduced me to your friends."

Sarah started heading towards the door with Chuck leading the way.

Bryce held his gun tightly in hand. "There's no one here that concerns you so if you don't mind we are going to leave now."

"Why would you want to do that Bryce? We have some unfinished business to attend to."

Bryce's gun never wavered from its target. "Do we?"

"I am shocked Bryce," Tommy replied. "After everything I did to save your life, this is how you repay me."

"I guess so…"

"You're going to run aren't you?"

Bryce gave Sarah the signal.

"RUN!" Sarah yelled to Chuck.

Chuck didn't have to be asked twice. He ran to the parking lot with Sarah and Bryce hot on his heels.

They ran until Sarah figured that they were safe. She grabbed her phone while catching her breath. "We need an extraction from this GPS co-ordinate ... three people on foot." She walked over to where Chuck was crouched down behind a mini mall parking lot garbage dump. "You ok?"

"Yeah, you?"

Sarah smiled at him. Of course still amazed that he always thought about her even when his own life was in danger.

Chuck gave her a weak smile. "Stupid question to ask huh?"

She sat down next to Chuck on the curb. "Not always."

"So I'm assuming that the guy following us is Tommy?" Chuck asked Bryce.

"Yes."

"So what now?" Chuck glanced at Sarah then directed his gaze to Bryce.

"We wait for the extraction team," Sarah replied. "We'll meet with General Beckman and tell her what we know and take it from there."

Bryce looked at Sarah as he nodded his agreement. "So how did you end up protecting Chuck? I mean Chuck isn't that important that he needs the best CIA agent in history, does he?"

She frowned at him. "You tell me Bryce."

"How long have you two been together?"

Sarah knew that Bryce was trying to bait her and she hated him for it. He knew how to push her buttons and wouldn't stop until he got the answer he was looking for. "My relationship with Chuck is strictly that of handler and asset. Nothing more."

Bryce smirked at Chuck. "I bet you're tired of hearing that one."

_What__was__Bryce__doing?__She__and__Chuck__were__having__a__tough__time__as__it__was__and__Bryce__wasn't__helping._Sarah knew that having Bryce around wasn't a good idea. It was never a good idea when your past, present and hopefully one day your future were thrown into an unpredictable situation where no one knows who is going take the next step, who's going to talk and who's not.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks ****goes ****out ****to ****MsRomanceWriter ****for ****her ****time ****and ****additions ****to ****this ****story.****This ****story ****was ****written ****for ****fun ****and ****for ****the ****love ****of ****the ****show. ****So ****for ****those ****out ****there ****that ****think ****that ****Chuck ****only ****belongs ****to ****a**** small ****group ****your ****wrong ****-****if ****my ****ideas ****here ****have ****sparked ****others ****to ****write ****awesome ****or ****the ****story ****has ****some ****familiar ****tones/ideas ****great ****because ****it****'****s ****a ****great ****show ****and ****it ****is ****not ****hard ****to ****have ****similar ****ideas ****when ****writing.**

**Enjoy ****and ****I ****own ****nothing ****in****regards ****to ****Chuck****(too ****bad ****though)**

**Chapter Two – Here we go again**

The CIA's extraction team moved swiftly toward Chuck, Sarah and Bryce. As soon as they recognized Bryce they drew their weapons.

Sarah immediately stood between Bryce and the extraction team. "Stand down! He's one of us."

The team withdrew their weapons once Sarah gave them a brief explanation of what had happened. They checked the area and ascertained that Tommy was long gone then they gave Chuck, Sarah and Bryce a lift back to Castle.

Bryce walked down the stairs amazed by the high tech facility. He turned to Chuck. "This is all because of you?" _While __thinking __to __himself __that __someone __would __be __shocked __that __the __CIA __pulled __it __off __but __not __surprised __that __they w__ould __want __the __best __for __the __best__ …_

"Yes it is and I have another member of my team who will be joining us momentarily."

"I can't wait to see who else you have on your team. IT IS YOUR TEAM RIGHT?"

"Of course," Chuck replied just as the elevator doors opened and Casey walked into the conference room. He turned to Bryce. "Meet the other member of my team."

Bryce froze when he caught sight of John Casey.

Upon spotting Bryce Casey immediately drew his weapon.

As if in slow motion Casey's gun was aimed at Bryce's chest. Sarah caught it in her peripheral vision and dived over to Casey yelling for him to stop. She shoved her hand up to knock Casey's arms out of range.

Chuck turned around while Bryce had hit the floor.

"WALKER!" Casey hollered.

"Casey stop," Sarah yelled back.

Chuck stared at Casey still in shock by what had just happened. "Casey, what's going on? Why did you try to shoot Bryce?"

When Sarah was sure that Casey had put his gun away and they were both upright again she started to explain to him what had happened. "So we escaped the medical facility with Bryce because Chuck felt that it was too harsh to let him stay there while Tommy was after him."

Casey grunted his disagreement. "Always the NICE GUY, aren't we Chuck!"

"Well at least I have some decency," Chuck replied. "Besides, why would you want to shoot Bryce?"

Bryce got up from the floor and dusted his pants off. "Because he already tried to kill me once before and as you can see I'm still alive."

Casey walked past Bryce. "The only reason you're still alive is because some European clinic had an ulterior motive."

"Can someone explain to me what is going on!" Chuck yelled. "Casey you shot Bryce!"

"Yeah and I would do it again in a heartbeat so don't tempt me." He glared at Bryce. "Got it Larkin?"

"Got it," Bryce replied.

Chuck sat down. "I think you should all take a seat, it looks like this may take a while."

The team sat down and Bryce told them the whole story about how he'd stolen the cipher, downloaded the intersect data and blown up the computer. He thought he was in the clear until Casey shot him. As he laid on the ground he pressed send on his portable device and sent the intersect data to Chuck.

Sarah still didn't understand. "What does Fulcrum have to do with what is in Chuck's head?"

Bryce glanced at her. "It's complicated."

She was starting to despise that word and all that it stood for and the fact that Bryce kept repeating it was really starting to annoy her.

"Try to explain it Larkin," Casey barked starting to lose patience with the moron that he hadn't killed the first time round.

"At the risk of repeating myself," Bryce turned to Casey. "After 9-11 the CIA/NSA were asked to play nice and share Intel so they built an intersect computer but Fulcrum found out about it and wanted to use the intersect to rebuild the CIA and train their agents in a manner similar to that of the Cold War. Fulcrum believed that new recruits were not being trained properly and the CIA were making them soft. I was told to keep the intersect out of Fulcrum's hands and that is exactly what I did. I chose to protect the CIA, our Government and the future of this nation."

"You decided to protect our nation by sending all the government's secrets to a nerd?" Casey asked shaking his head in disbelief. Maybe hell wasn't too bad after all because lately working with the nerd wasn't exactly a vacation.

Beckman appeared on the screen and was surprised to see Agent Larkin sitting at the round table in Castle.

Bryce looked up. "General Beckman, it's been a long time."

"Indeed Agent Larkin almost a year, give or take."

"Yes." Bryce looked at Sarah. "It's been at least a year."

Chuck noticed the look that Bryce gave Sarah and the fact that she quickly shied away from his gaze.

"So General," Sarah said trying to create a distraction to what she felt was an awkward moment between herself, Bryce and Chuck. "What do we do now?"

"We need to work very carefully. The CIA is divided and we need to know what we are working against now that we now that some of our agents may be rogue. Casey what did you find out about the transfer of Agent Larkin's body?"

"I spoke to one of my informants and looked at surveillance tape and from what I can ascertain the paramedics thought they were taking Larkin to the morgue but between them leaving the crime scene and arriving at the morgue Larkin's body was switched by Fulcrum. They tranq'd the ambulance driver and paramedic then switched Larkin's body with another dead body. Larkin was transferred to another van but we have no Intel on its destination and the number plate of the van was concealed. The body of a deceased man, who is unknown, was sent to the CIA morgue and disposed of as if it was Bryce Larkin's body."

General Beckman looked at Bryce. "What do you remember about what happened that night?"

"Not much but I do know that Tommy isn't going to back off."

Beckman frowned. "Do they know who has the intersect?"

"They only know what I told them."

"And that is Agent Larkin?"

"That I'm the intersect."

"Very well, I will get back to you once I have conferred with Director Graham. Agent Larkin you will remain in Castle until further orders." She turned to Casey. "Major, could you please make arrangements for Agent Larkin to get a change of clothes and a place to stay."

"Do I have to babysit him?"

General Beckman frowned at him. "Yes, do you have a problem that?"

"No General," Casey replied gritting his teeth.

When Casey and Bryce got up to leave General Beckman eyed the other two agents. "Agent Walker, Mr Bartowski, please stay seated."

Chuck was still trying to take all of it in and could hardly believe that Bryce was rogue.

Sarah was hoping for this nightmare to be over and the only thing she could hope for was that the silver lining she'd spotted turned into something gold.

"The reason I wanted to talk to you two alone is I need to know that the asset is taken care of. I am still ordering 24 hour protection detail for you Chuck and I hope that we can get this figured out as soon as we possible. Will that be a problem?"

"No problem General," they hesitantly chimed.

"Ok then, Chuck will move in with Sarah until we have more to work with."

"General what about my family?"

"Your family is taken care of. That is why you're going over to Agent Walker's so we can limit your exposure. If you're not around your place then it can't be in jeopardy, can it?"

"No I guess not General."

"Very well, until later."

Sarah wasn't pleased about having to share her place with Chuck. It was her personal space, a place where she had time to think alone and away from him. How was she going to get through the next 24 hours or even maybe longer if he was there with her?

Chuck grabbed his stuff out of his locker thinking that he needed to remember to replenish his locker with everyday clothes and personal items. The teams' missions were taking a toll on the clothes he had stored in Castle.

Sarah drove them over to her hotel and they walked to the elevator. They had stopped for Chinese food which was becoming a favourite for their 'fake relationship' as well as pizza with no olives. She slid her key card into the slot and opened the door.

Chuck put the food down on the table and looked around the room as Sarah turned on the lamps then he walked over to the window. He'd lived in the valley for twenty seven and a half years and as he looked down into the canyon it occurred to him that he'd never seen this side of Burbank before.

Sarah watched Chuck taking in the sights and staring into the canyon marvelling how he always managed to find the good in people. It just added to the spiralling out of control feelings that she had for him. "Chuck?"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to take a shower. You can dish the food on plates from the cupboard."

"So this not letting me out of your sight thing, does it pertain to me joining you in the shower?"

"Chuck, you're ok where you are," she smiled. "You're safe ... unless you eat all the egg rolls that is then I'm not making any promises."

He gave her a faint smile and walked into the kitchen to dish the food then he returned to the window, took off his jacket and leaned it against the chair.

Fifteen minutes later Sarah entered the room wearing a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt. Her hair was still wet and hanging loosely down her back. "There better be eggs rolls left."

Chuck followed Sarah into the kitchen. He'd always wondered what it was that made her smell so great and now he knew. It was her shampoo.

They ate amongst broken silences because they never really knew how to just talk. They would bounce around mini conversations that ended up with Chuck babbling and rambling about stuff that Sarah had no clue about and Sarah would talk about some of her missions but Chuck was just starting to learn the jargon so he had to keep stopping her to ask questions.

After they were finished eating Chuck walked over to his bag and pulled out his iPhone and a book. He didn't have time to grab his iPod but his selections of songs were the same on both units so it didn't really matter. He turned to his music selection and the music began.

Sarah, who had just sat down on the couch, looked up.

Chuck quickly turned the music down.

"That's okay Chuck, it sounds nice."

"Nice." Chuck was taken aback. "So what do you like to listen to?"

"What do you mean?"

"What bands do you listen to? What kind of music do you like listening to?"

"I don't really have any favourites. I usually don't listen to music."

"What?" Chuck exclaimed. "You don't listen to music. Music is my life. I even have t-shirt with those words on it."

Sarah smiled. "Let's listen to your music. It will make a nice change from what I'm used to around here."

Chuck took a quick glance around the room. "I guess music will have to do because I notice that you don't have a TV." _N__ote __to __self:__bring __a __portable __DVD __player __from __Castle __and __an __Xbox._

Chuck selected random on his player then sat on the couch next to Sarah. The first song was too guitar driven and judging by the look on her face he figured she didn't like it so he switched to another song. He played her classics like Mr Roboto, Eye of the Tiger and Africa then Nina Simone came on.

Sarah nestled further into the couch and grabbed a blanket to cover her legs.

Chuck sighed with relief. If he had to look at Sarah's legs one more time the saying 'keep it in your pants' would be an understatement. He watched as Sarah's eyes started to drift closed and she quickly opened them again. "You can go to sleep," he whispered. "I am safe, remember?"

"I'm just resting my eyes," she said. "That was a beautiful song, what was it called?"

"Feeling good by Nina Simone," Chuck replied. "Did you like that one?"

"I did."

Chuck smiled.

She asked about the title of the next song as well.

"It's called 'I got you under my skin' by good ol' blue eyes himself."

"Frank Sinatra."

"Very good Agent Walker, I'm impressed."

"Well don't be. I am a CIA agent, you know."

"Yes you are."

They listened to a few more songs while Chuck read his book. When he looked up again Sarah was leaning on his shoulder. He carefully laid her down so that her head was resting on his lap then he covered her with the blanket and went back to reading his book. An hour later he too fell asleep.

The room was quiet as the early morning sunshine beamed through the window. Chuck's arm was resting lightly over Sarah's shoulder while she held his other hand in hers.

Sarah opened her eyes and quickly closed them again. She wasn't a morning person and waking up with the sun shining in her face wasn't at the top of her list of favourite things to do. She froze when she realized that she was holding Chuck's hand. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the couch listening to music while he read a book. It was an innocent enough thing to do, almost an involuntary move on each of their parts. She had to make a choice. Professionally the right thing to do would be to let go of his hand and move off the couch. Personally she wanted more and would have been very happy to stay lying in his arms.

Chuck woke up and realized that his arm was still resting on Sarah's shoulders. He started to shift it and, as if on cue, they both stood up. He mumbled an apology.

Sarah shrugged it off secretly pleased that she'd spent the night in his arms. "I'll go make us some coffee. You can use the bathroom first, if you wish."

Chuck nodded and rolled on his heels as he watched Sarah walk into the kitchen. When he joined her awhile later he was surprised to find that she'd made them breakfast of omelettes, strawberries and bacon. He noticed Sarah trying to reach some mugs on a high shelf and walked up behind her to get the mugs for her.

Sarah's face turned towards the inside of Chuck's arm and she breathed in his scent. It reminded her of the kiss at the warehouse which had been one of the few perfect moments in her life. Nothing mattered when they kissed except for what followed after. Dealing with the aftermath of that kiss was something she hadn't been trained to deal with and she briefly wondered if her life would ever get any easier. Not only did she have to deal with her feelings for Chuck but she didn't want him to find out about her past relationship with Bryce.

"Earth to Sarah," Chuck said. "Anybody home?"

"Sorry." She flushed and quickly moved away from him. "I kind of zoned out there for a moment."

Chuck flashed her an amused smile. "I can see that."

Sarah sat down at the counter. "Let's eat before the food gets cold."

"Ok." Chuck sat down next to her and tugged at his breakfast. He tried on several occasions throughout the meal to bring up what had happened at the warehouse but Sarah kept diverting his questions. He took one last sip of his coffee and prepared himself to ask the question directly. No more beating about the bush. "Sarah?"

She glanced at him. "Yes?"

He fumbled with his mug and napkin. "I wanted to talk about what happened the other night. I ..."

Sarah immediately stood up and started to clear the dishes. She knew he wanted to talk about the kiss so she quickly turned her back to him and started to fill the sink with water.

Chuck continued talking. "We didn't really get a chance to talk about what happened or whether there is anything to talk about?"

Oh is there ever! I would like nothing better than to pick up where we left off. Snap out of it! You can't let yourself go down that route. You have to deal with Bryce before you can start anything with Chuck." Why?" Sarah muttered under her breath.

"Why?" Chuck repeated unaware that the question hadn't been directed at him. "Because we um ... you ... um…"

The phone rang and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she went to answer it. She'd dodged another bullet but she knew that one of these days that bullet was going to hit its target. She nodded as she listened to General Beckman's orders. "Yes, we'll be right there." She hung up the phone and turned to Chuck. "Sorry, I know you want to talk but its Beckman … we'll chat later, I promise."

**Castle, Burbank**

"We need to find out who Tommy is taking orders from and to do that we're going to use Tommy. The CIA has been keeping an eye on a Hollywood politician who is throwing a big party at his home tonight. Tommy knows the politician and will be attending the party. We need to get visuals on the guests." She turned to Chuck. "I need you to pose as a waiter so you can walk freely amongst the guests. If you flash on anyone report it to Casey immediately. He has already set everything up and will monitor the mission from the van. You will be covered by cameras once you're inside the house. Casey has a visual on the side entrances so he'll monitor that on his own. You will be wearing a pair of glasses embedded with a camera."

Chuck nodded. "Sounds easy enough General."

"Sarah and Bryce, you will resume your cover as the Andersons and do what you do best to snuff out any leads."

Chuck was taken aback. "General, who are the Andersons?"

"Sarah and Bryce."

Chuck looked at Sarah with a shocked almost hurt look on his face.

Sarah tried to play it cool but Bryce not so cool.

"Didn't you know that Sarah and Bryce used to be partners?" General Beckman inquired. "They were once the CIA's golden couple ..."

Chuck flashed on the words 'golden couple' and all the Intel on Sarah and Bryce's missions flashed in front of his eyes.

Sarah knew by the look in his eyes that he had flashed and that whatever he'd seen made him very uncomfortable.

Chuck had found out a lot more than he wanted to know about Bryce and Sarah. This wasn't how he'd envisaged getting to know her and the Pandora's box he'd just took a peek into did nothing to quell his anxiety over the situation between Bryce and Sarah. As soon as General Beckman dismissed them Chuck stormed off.

Sarah quickly ran after him but when she reached the top of the stairs Chuck was nowhere to be found. She ran back down and used the computer to locate Chuck on his watch, but nothing came up. She feared that Chuck took off his watch and was off somewhere because he'd found out that Bryce was her partner and she knew that pretty soon he'd find out about the other stuff too.

One day when Chuck was adding some broad bent wire to Castle he'd stumbled upon a hidden hatch that had been used when Castle was refurbished. It had enough room to stand up in and was large enough for two people easily seeing as it was a little bigger than your average sized closet. He figured that during construction they were initially going to use it as part of an escape route but opted out when they built the emergency exits via the venting system through the access in one of the holding cells. Chuck had also noticed that it was not hooked up to any cameras or surveillance. It was an unused hidden part of Castle and a good place to hide because it meant no surveillance and no Sarah.

Chuck sat down trying to figure out what was going on. _Why __hadn't __Sarah __told __him __that __she __and __Bryce __had __been __partners? __How __long __were __they __partners?__Was __that __all __it __was?__Why __are __they __no __longer __partners? __Why __would __Bryce __be __concerned __about __Sarah __being __my __handler?__Who __is __this __mystery __man __that __told __Bryce __the __information __and __does __Sarah __know __the __man? _He replayed the images in his mind of their missions, awards, recognitions, undercover missions, top secret files, the Omaha project, Mr and Mrs Smith, Mr Torres and Mrs Seager-Torres. It all led back to one question. "WHY DIDN'T SHE TELL ME ABOUT BRYCE?" Why would she keep that from me? She was good at lying, there was no doubt about that and she obviously thought that it would never come out. It made him wonder what else she'd lied about. He counted to ten several times and when he'd calmed down he returned to the main area of Castle and his desk.

Sarah quickly walked over to him and took him aside. "Where have you been? I need to talk to you."

"Now you want to talk," Chuck said raising his voice. "I got some pretty interesting information on you and the FACT that you and Bryce were partners."

"Keep your voice down!"

"My Agent Walker aren't we being the diplomatic one."

Sarah frowned at him. "What?"

"You didn't want me to find out that you and Bryce were once partners. What other lies are you hiding?"

She didn't like where this was going.

Chuck leaned on the counter. "When I wanted to talk about the other night I was shot down. Now you want to talk because it's convenient for you – sorry but this ship has sailed." He turned on his heel and started to walk away.

"But ..."

Chuck stopped and turned around. "But what?"

"You said that we ... um ... that I could talk to you whenever I wanted to."

Chuck sighed and closed his eyes. "Yes I did but now I'm not ready to talk to you, at least not about this."

Casey motioned to them to get ready for the party.

Sarah looked at Chuck wanting to say something, wanting to talk to him, to tell him something that would satisfy him, to put an end to his curiosity, to explain herself and as much as she could. She stared at him, surprised when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"I know that you have secrets and some secrets need to remain just that but I thought we had something."

Sarah rubbed the back of Chuck's hand with her thumb. "We do."

"So why didn't you tell me about you and Bryce?"

"I didn't know what to say. What could I say? With your past and all – getting kicked out of Stanford, Bryce sending you that email. He wasn't exactly at the top of your list of favourite people and the fact that we were partners isn't something at the top of my list of things to talk about."

Chuck saw the sincerity in Sarah's eyes and knew she was being straight with him. "Would you like to talk after tonight's mission? Maybe over some Spyro and red bubbly?"

"I'd like that."

Chuck smiled and headed out.

**Sarah's apartment**

Chuck ran up the stairs to Sarah's apartment with his tux in his hand. He didn't like getting dressed up and felt that he didn't look good in a tux. He was far happier in t-shirts and jeans or his back in the day his Nerd Herd uniform so dressing up for missions was something he was still getting used to. He knocked on Sarah's door and to his surprise Bryce answered the door dressed up to the nines in a tux.

Sarah quickly slid next to him and smiled. "Hi Chuck."

"Hey Sarah."

She smiled again at Chuck and let him in.

"What no hi for me?" Bryce asked.

Chuck acknowledged Bryce as he walked into the room and as he walked by Sarah he whispered, "Why is Bryce here?"

"He just showed up. He wasn't supposed to be here." Sarah placed her hand on Chuck's arm and rubbed it lightly.

Bryce closed the door and returned to his seat. He was sipping a drink while Sarah was getting ready in the bedroom deciding on a dress.

Chuck laid his tux down on the bed.

Sarah's interest was piqued. She liked it when Chuck got dressed up and seeing the glasses made her even happier. She would love to see him undressed as well but that was between her and her thoughts. She knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon especially while Bryce was still hanging around. Besides, she and Chuck still needed to talk about the kiss, that wonderful deep, passionate kiss. She shook herself out of her thoughts. If Bryce continued to hang around she knew that her talk and Spyro with Chuck was not going to happen and all she could do was hope that there were no more interruptions after the mission that would ruin their plans.

Chuck got changed in the spare room and came out dressed like he was ready for the runway. His tux fitted him nicely and he'd chosen to wear a tie instead of the bow tie which made the outfit work. He put on his glasses that framed his face and made him look like a real spy, sharp sophisticated.

Sarah thought he looked very handsome.

Chuck adjusted his tie as he walked out of the room and when he looked up he saw that Sarah was wearing a red v-neck red satin dress and it didn't escape his attention that it didn't cover a whole lot of skin at the back.

Sarah smiled at Chuck. "You like?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I- I – lov."

"Hey Mrs Anderson," Bryce interjected. "Are you ready yet?"

Chuck was beginning to dislike his friend. _I__'__m __so __glad __that __Bryce __was __just __Sarah__'__s __partner __and __nothing __more._He couldn't imagine how he'd feel if they'd been in a relationship. He sighed and raised his shoulders and they walked towards the living room.

"Wow Mrs Anderson A+ on your part," Bryce said. "Are you ready to roll?" He stood up and gave Sarah another added addition to her wardrobe. "Your ring Mrs. Anderson."

"Thanks Bryce." Sarah quickly took the ring and put it on her finger before Bryce got the idea to put it on himself.

It was another nail in the already Bryce interference coffin. These added changes to the plan weren't scripted and the lines of how he fit into the equation were becoming lines Chuck couldn't figure out. Unfortunately it seemed that General Beckman needed him and in a way Chuck needed him to. If Bryce was the only guy who could help him get the intersect out of his head or knew someone who could then he had to trust him even if it meant allowing him to take center stage with Sarah while he took the role of understudy.

**Senator Fitzroy's Mansion**

"Remember team, Intel and flashing, do I make myself clear? I would much rather be home watching Platoon than sitting here in the van so don't screw up." Casey closed the door of the van.

Bryce and Sarah headed to the front door of the mansion.

Chuck slipped in the back entrance. His alias tonight was Hortez. He took a tray of drinks from the bar and made his way to the tables surrounding the dance floor where he walked around pouring drinks and mingling with the guests. He noticed Bryce and Sarah enter the room. Bryce liked to make an entrance. He had always been that way, even in college. He did everything to the extreme and made sure that everything was about him, that all eyes were on him and it seemed like nothing had changed.

When Bryce went to look for Tommy Sarah walked over to Chuck.

Chuck offered her a tall glass of champagne. "It's not the bubbly that I had in mind but it will have to do. By the way, you look very beautiful tonight."

Sarah smiled. "Well I must say those glasses and that suit make me want to leave the man I came with and take you home instead."

Chuck swallowed deeply. _Did __I __just __hear __Sarah __wanting __to __take __me __home? __Well __not __in __those __exact __words __but __this __was __Sarah __we__'__re __talking __about._

Sarah put down her glass and gave Chuck a sweet smile then walked off.

"Ok Team," Casey said. "Everything is online. All feeds are running. Please confirm that contact has been made."

"Chuck check."

"Sarah check."

Minutes later… "Bryce check."

Chuck thanked his lucky stars that Casey didn't see or hear his conversation with Sarah. He didn't need another speech about how CIA agents weren't supposed to have personal relationships with assets or other CIA agents for that matter.

The night rolled on and it was looking like another bust.

Chuck made his final rounds and noticed Senator Fitzroy walking to a man who looked a lot like Tommy. "Hey, guys, I think something is going down. Fitzroy is talking to Tommy near the east doors leading to the yard."

"Can you get audio," Casey asked. "Try getting closer without getting spotted."

Chuck saw another waiter taking a tray of drinks up to Fitzroy's table. He followed the waiter and tossed a micro feed under the foot of Tommy's chair. "It's a go," he told Casey.

Casey turned on the micro feed and recorded the conversation. "Got it, thanks Chuck."

Chuck went to get another bottle of champagne. He hadn't heard from Sarah for a while and was very happy not to hear from Bryce. He still hadn't told him why he'd sent him the email nor had he answered any of the other burning questions Chuck had. He walked into the dance hall and saw that the crowd was swarming around a couple. The music started with the classic vibe of the Lambada dance and curious Chuck walked towards the crowd filling drinks as he went.

When Chuck got closer he noticed that Bryce and Sarah were dancing the Lambada. He knew that Bryce was good at most things but he hadn't known that it included dancing and he for sure didn't know that Sarah could dance. It was a very sexy and intimate type of dance and because it was so sexy people who danced it were either in love with each other or wanted to be in love with that person so why would two agents go that far in their cover to show off like that? The more Chuck watched Bryce and Sarah the more it made him uncomfortable. He could see that they did not dislike this part of their roles.

Sarah was just trying to get through the dance. Bryce knew she hated to dance especially something so sexy like the Lambada. They hadn't danced the Lambada since their mission in Columbia, the one where Bryce had cheated on her. She'd ended her relationship with him on the spot. She wasn't comfortable doing the dance with Bryce but she was a trained agent and knew that doing things you didn't like to do came with the territory.

Sarah was unaware that Chuck was watching them dance but Bryce had noticed and purposely kept Sarah dancing. He knew how to push and control Sarah's buttons. When the music stopped he took Sarah aside, forced her into a sensual embrace and kissed her.

Sarah fought but Bryce worked his magic and she got wrapped up in the moment and kissed him back.

The kiss turned heads and when Chuck looked up he wished he hadn't. He turned away.

Sarah pulled away from Bryce and stepped back. "What you and I had is over. It's been over for more than a year. I don't have feelings for you and I will never forgive you for kissing me like that. You stepped over the line!" She didn't wait for him to reply and stormed off. "We're done her Casey, Intel or not we're done!"

"Roger that."

Sarah got into the van looking very shaken up.

Casey shook his head. "Now you see why I never trusted him. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She grabbed the jacket that was lying on the seat next to her. It was Chuck's Buy More jacket. She put it on and gradually started to feel better and a little calmer.

Chuck walked by and tossed Casey his mike, earpiece and glasses. "I guess we're done for tonight." He looked up at Casey then at Sarah.

"I guess we are," Casey replied. "We'll regroup tomorrow morning."

"Ok, goodnight guys." Chuck walked down the road.

Sarah jumped out of the van and hurried to catch up with him. "Aren't we on for Spyro tonight?"

Chuck was trying very hard to stay calm and not make a big deal about Bryce and Sarah kissing but he couldn't get the image out of his head. Why would two people who were partners kiss like that? It was way too close to what he and Sarah had shared a few nights ago. He sighed and turned to look at her. "I've got a headache, probably from flashing or it could be the glasses. Do you mind if I take a rain check?"

Sarah was surprised by Chuck's comment and change of heart. "Oh, ok. Aren't you going to come back to my place? You know the whole 24 hour thing."

"It was only for 24 hours Sarah! I'm going home and Casey will watch me tonight. I'll pick up my stuff later or maybe you can drop it off at Castle. I need to restock my locker anyway." Chuck walked away leaving Sarah stunned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – The Truth Comes Out**

It had been a week since Chuck saw Sarah and Bryce kissing and he'd not spoken to her since that night. He had spent most of his time watching the video feeds from his glasses and putting together a report for Beckman from their last mission. He sat watching the main feed and didn't notice Sarah enter the room.

Sarah put a cup of coffee on the table next to Chuck. She knew that he was busy but she also knew that something was up and wondered if something happened on their last mission. _She __didn__'__t __think __that __he'd __seen __Bryce __kiss __her __but __she __couldn't __be __sure. _She took a sip of her own coffee then sat down. "Hey Chuck, I got you some coffee."

Chuck looked at the cup she'd placed next to him. "Thanks." He took the lid off and took a sip. "My favourite, how did you know?"

"I'm not totally clueless to the little things Chuck. I do observe and take notes when I need to."

He smiled at Sarah then visions of her and Bryce kissing filled his brain. _How __could __she __do __that __knowing __what __we__ – __what __did __he __and __Sarah __really __have __anyway?__There __was __no __title __to __it__ – __no __defined __roles__ – __so __why __did __it __hurt __so __much? __How __could __she __come __here __and __bring __me __coffee?__"_

Sarah snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Earth to Chuck?"

Chuck shook his head. "Sorry, I kind of dozed off there for a sec."

"We seem to do that often, don't we? I mean both of us."

"Yeah I guess we do. Maybe I've been sitting here looking at this screen for too long or something."

"Chuck, is everything ok?"

Startled by her question he quickly picked up his coffee cup. "Why do you ask?

"Well I haven't seen you like I usually do and you seem distracted," Sarah replied. "I've been wanting to talk to you ... I miss out talks. I miss us."

"I miss our talks too." Chuck turned off his monitor and spun around to face Sarah. "I guess we could talk now."

"I thought you had work to do."

Chuck grinned. "It can wait – this can't ... can it?"

Sarah rolled her chair closer. "No, I don't think that we should wait."

Chuck moved in again and Sarah sat up straight in her chair. "So what would you like to talk about?"

Sarah rolled her chair a little closer to Chuck. "Let's talk about …"

Bryce walked into the room bringing an abrupt halt to Chuck and Sarah's talk. "Do you guys want to get something to eat?" He looked at Chuck. "Is Spyro still making pizza?

Chuck nodded.

Bryce turned to Sarah. "It was all Chuck talked about when we were in College ... it was Spyro this, Spyro that all the time.

Chuck looked at Sarah then at Bryce.

"I recall that Spyro is closed for reno's," Sarah said when she saw how uncomfortable Chuck looked. "Isn't that right Chuck?"

"Yeah, sorry buddy."

"Bummer," Bryce replied. "Where else can we get something to eat?"

"We could go for Chinese. There's a nice restaurant nearby where everything on the menu is less than ten dollars." Chuck looked up for Sarah's approval.

She smiled. "Yeah, that's a good place."

Bryce got up and headed for the stairs.

Chuck grabbed Sarah's hand when she stood up. "I guess our talk will have to wait."

"I hope not too long," she replied then they both followed Bryce upstairs.

**Chinese Restaurant**

The restaurant wasn't very full so it was easy to get a booth. Sarah sat in the middle with Chuck on her right and Bryce on her left. The waitress came and filled their glasses with water. They all took a look at the menu and decided to order a selection of items to share.

Seeing Bryce and Sarah together reminded Chuck of the unfortunate incident. That was what he was calling their kiss. He couldn't understand what game Sarah was playing and had become much more guarded around her over the last week. She'd kissed the guy that he disliked being compared to. Throughout college he'd had to live up to Bryce, be in second place to everything Bryce did. It was rare that Bryce came in second to Charles Irving Bartowski. He'd hoped that one day he would come first with Sarah and perhaps it was still a possibility as long as she hadn't dated Bryce but after the last mission he wasn't so sure and his insecurities resurfaced big time.

The food arrived and they each filled their plates. Their conversation was mainly small talk filled with long silences. Chuck wondered why Bryce had sent him the intersect and whether there was a connection between him and Sarah that went beyond partners. His thoughts were making supper unbearable and as soon as they were finished eating he signalled for the bill.

As soon as the waiter put it on the table Bryce grabbed it. "Sorry buddy my treat."

Chuck looked up to thank him then flashed on a man and woman sitting to his right. "I just flashed on that couple at your three o'clock," he whispered.

Sarah glanced at him. "What did you flash on?"

"They're connected to Tommy and Fulcrum. We need to get out of here."

Bryce threw down some twenties and the three of them got up to leave. As they were making their way to the door Tommy entered the restaurant from the back followed by two Fulcrum agents.

"Bryce, we need to stop meeting like this," Tommy said. "If you stop running we wouldn't have to do this."

Bryce piped up. "But I like this."

Tommy walked around the now empty restaurant. "It seems that every time we meet you're with the same two people. I'm getting the feeling that they are important to you or you wouldn't be spending so much time with them."

Tommy walked towards Sarah. "Sorry, I forget my manners. They call me Tommy and you are?"

Chuck and Sarah remained quiet. Sarah placed her arm in front of Chuck to keep him behind her.

"Shy are we? That's ok, I'm going to take a guess. You're Agent Sarah Walker and …" Tommy walked over to Chuck.

Sarah remained standing in front of Chuck trying to keep the distance between Tommy and Chuck.

"You're someone I'm not 100% sure about," he said to Chuck. "But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is you Bryce." Tommy turned around and faced Bryce.

Sarah grabbed Chuck's watch and pressed his distress signal hoping that Casey would pick it up quickly.

The three were taken out of the restaurant and forced into a van. Half an hour later they pulled up outside a building which Sarah immediately recognized. It was the same one they'd found Bryce in weeks ago. One of Tommy's men opened the door and grabbed Sarah none too gently which ticked Chuck off. He jumped the guy and threw a few punches at him. Another man came up behind Chuck and knocked him out with the handle of his gun. He fell in a heap on the ground.

The man released Sarah and she ran to Chuck trying to get him to wake up. When she moved her hand around his neck she saw that he was bleeding. The same man grabbed Sarah and forced her into a room and cuffed her to a chair while Chuck was carried and placed on the cold cement floor. Bryce was the last to enter and he too was cuffed to the chair next to Sarah.

Tommy walked towards Bryce. "Your friend wasn't too smart but then again I don't blame him for trying to protect a beautiful woman. I'm assuming that there's probably something more between them for him to act like that. I must say I'm a little shocked that you didn't step in to protect your ex-partner. I heard that you two were pretty close at one time."

Bryce tried not to react to Tommy's assumptions about there being something more between Chuck and Sarah.

All Sarah could think about was that Chuck was lying on the ground bleeding. She wasn't interested in hearing some guy on a power trip with old news that wasn't important anymore.

"You'll stay here until I decide what to do with the three of you." Tommy walked out of the room followed by the two Fulcrum agents slamming the steel door closed behind them. The room was damp and musty with water dripping down the side of the wall. The only light in the room hung from the middle of the ceiling.

Sarah kept her eyes on Chuck wanting very badly to hold him and take care of him.

Bryce could tell by Sarah's expression and her body language that there was something going on between her and Chuck. "Is there something between you and Chuck?"

Sarah paused slightly then looked at Bryce. "No!"

"Come on Sarah, you and I have been through a lot. I know when you're lying or better yet, not telling me your version of the truth."

"I'm not lying." She _hated __herself __for __lying __to __Bryce __but __he __was __the __last __person __she __wanted __to __know __about __her __feelings __for __Chuck._"There is nothing going on."

"Are you sure about that?" Bryce asked raising an eyebrow. "You know that having a relationship with an asset is against CIA protocol."

"So is having one with a fellow agent but that didn't stop us," Sarah countered.

"Touché," Bryce smiled. "If you have feelings for Chuck then you won't toy with him. He's the kind of guy who, once he has feelings for someone, he falls hard. I guess it's the nerd in him. Chuck is passionate about things whether it's his family, friends, video games or his job. I could never understand that about him but it's who he is."

Sarah smiled to herself. His passion was one of the things she loved most about Chuck.

"So I'll ask you again Sarah, do you have feelings for Chuck? Feelings that could get you killed or even him."

"There's nothing going on and even if there was it's none of your business or your concern. Chuck is my asset. I am his handler. He's lying on the floor hurt and unconscious while we're tied up to a chair. My feelings for Chuck are nothing more than those of a handler concerned about her asset's well being so can we drop it please_!__"_

"Alright Walker," Bryce replied. "Geesh! You try to have a conversation with someone and they bite your head off."

Sarah turned to Bryce. "This is not a normal conversation. All you want is some dirt that you can use later on."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because it's what you do," Sarah replied. "You still haven't told me the truth about why you sent the email to Chuck and who this other guy is that gave you the information in the first place. If it relates to Chuck don't you think I should be made aware of it?"

"You have enough information for now. My main interest is making …" Bryce lowered his voice "... Tommy believe that I have the intersect in my head and that you two are working with me. It's a long shot but…"

"How long is Tommy going to believe that you have it, Bryce?"

"I need to him to believe that I have it. I'll prove it to him if I have to."

When the door opened Bryce and Sarah sat up straighter. Tommy walked in with his two henchmen. "We'll uncuff you but please promise me not to beat up my men Agent Walker. We wouldn't want to make Chuck's time on the floor a longer visit would we?"

Sarah nodded in agreement.

The men uncuffed Bryce and Sarah.

Sarah immediately went to check on Chuck.

Her actions spoke louder than any words and Bryce knew right then that his suspicions were true.

Sarah sat on the floor and cradled Chuck's head in her lap. The bleeding had stopped but he was still unconscious.

Bryce remained sitting as he watched the events unfold.

Sarah moved Chuck's hair around his ear and saw that he had a nasty bump behind his head.

Tommy walked over to Bryce and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You can come with us now!"

Sarah looked up as Bryce's chair scraped the floor. She was about to get up when Tommy stopped her.

"We only want Larkin!"

Bryce looked at Sarah. "It'll be ok – I need to do this."

Sarah knew the disadvantages of the job but this one was too personal and too close to home. All to keep Chuck's secret a secret. She sat back down when Tommy and the two men left the room again. She leaned her back against the wall while running her fingers through Chuck's hair. This had been the first time in days that they were this close – no one interfering, no one talking nothing – all perfect except that Chuck was out cold. She took this moment for all it was worth – she embraced this moment – she could be herself without an audience, without acting like someone else – pretending, denying, and justifying her actions. She was her real self or as real as she could be at this moment – the more she lived as an agent the less she remembered the girl she was.

Sarah dozed off and was woken an hour later when she felt Chuck move.

He rolled onto his side, opened his eyes and smiled at her.

Sarah smiled and kissed his forehead happy that he was finally awake.

Chuck got up slowly and felt the result of getting clubbed earlier. He rubbed his hand over his head. "Ouch, that hurts!"

"See what happens when you jump in to protect someone."

"Yeah but he was after you and I couldn't …."

"I know Chuck, but you don't need to protect me. It's me who needs to protect you." Sarah smiled and looked at him. "But I did appreciate it…" She leaned on her knees and kissed Chuck lightly on the lips. "Thank you but never do it again."

Chuck leaned in again. "What are you saying Sarah … saving your life or kissing you again?"

Sarah looked into Chuck's eyes then her gaze fell to his lips.

Chuck moved in closer.

Sarah mouthed the words 'saving me you idiot'.

Chuck brought Sarah closer for their second official kiss and this time it didn't have anything to do with bombs going off. He forgot about Bryce and Sarah. "I would like nothing more than to finish this or start something but what have I missed?"

Sarah sat back and fixed her hair and shirt as both got a little messed up with the kiss and all.

"After you were hit Tommy and his men shoved us in here and cuffed Bryce and I while you were out. About an hour ago they came and took Bryce. He said he'll do anything to protect you Chuck. He still hasn't told me why he sent you the email or who this other guy is. You don't think he'd do anything stupid, do you?"

"I think that you're probably in a better position than me to answer that question," Chuck replied. "You were his partner."

"And you were his college roommate," Sarah replied.

"Personally I think he'll probably do whatever he needs to do to protect the person but he always had an ulterior motive," Chuck said. "What's he like professionally?"

"About the same." _Bryce __looked __out __for __himself__ – __their __personal __relationship __was __a__way __to __release __the __stress __of __the __job__ – __sex __wasn__'__t __romantic __with __him__ – __it __filled __a __need__ – __Bryce __filled __a __need._

Chuck looked worried.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know. I don't have a good feeling about this."

Sarah took his hand. Casey will find us. I pushed the activation button on your watch. He'll find us and capture Tommy. They took our cells."

Chuck got up and started pacing.

**In another room ...**

"Bryce are you going to cooperate? Do we need to sweeten the deal and get you on board? Half of the golden couple of the CIA and you're sure that Agent Walker will give up her loyalty to the CIA and join us?"

Bryce needed Tommy to believe him. Standing in a office type room he quickly scanned the area just in case he needed to make a run for it. He needed to keep Tommy busy and interested long enough so that Chuck and Sarah would be safe. "I'm sure of it. I told Walker the plan I mean your plans. She's very reasonable and when she sees an opportunity to advance she doesn't need to be asked twice."

"Well, Bryce I guess we could have a deal but you need to prove to me that you're on our side and that you will not put the intersect in jeopardy."

Bryce walked over to Tommy, grabbed a glass and poured himself a drink. He looked up and offered one to Tommy but he declined at first. Bryce raised the glass and took a swig. "I promise that I'll do anything to protect the intersect and I mean it!"

"Well then I believe we have a deal."

Bryce turned around and shook Tommy's hand.

Tommy refilled Bryce's glass and swallowed the drink in one gulp. "We toast and then we'll do business."

Bryce watched Tommy take a drink only wishing that it had something in it to get rid of him. He didn't really have a plan but whatever he was going to do in that moment and the next needed to keep Chuck safe. He knew that Sarah could take care of herself and Chuck but how could he keep the secret safe in here? While Tommy continued to talk about their plan to take over the CIA and use the intersect for cold war training and much more Bryce devised his plan as best as he could under the circumstances. To protect the life of his friend but also to save and protect the secrets that Chuck was protecting.

Bryce was surprised to hear what Fulcrum was planning. It was well thought out just like Mr Steven Bartowski had predicted but he knew that they didn't have a chance of succeeding without the intersect. He'd figured out that without the use and control of the intersect all branches that fed off of the Fulcrum line would end up in chaos but with control of the intersect many agents would be easily turned and the whole alliance of the CIA would be no longer.

"So my dear friend, what do you think? Are you on board?"

Bryce knew he had to act fast and hopefully alert Walker before things really got out of hand.

Tommy walked Bryce out of the office and back down the hall. The two henchmen had Sarah and Chuck in cuffs waiting outside the shipping gates.

Casey had located the beacon signal that Sarah had pressed on Chuck's watch. He quickly figured out where he was and headed for the roof. He mounted the unit which was the only one he could muster up at such a short time. He spoke to Beckman and told her the location and that Chuck had engaged his distress signal. His mission was to extract Mr. Bartowski as well as Agents Walker and Larkin. His team was in place waiting for their next step. Casey watched for any sign of the three people he was there to rescue.

Tommy walked over to Walker and Chuck. "It's so nice to see that we didn't hurt you too much Chuck ... that's your name right? Sorry about the head." He turned to Sarah. "And Ms. Walker – Agent Larkin and I have been talking and he has been very open as to where his loyalties lie. He believes that you will agree with his choices. We know that Bryce is a good agent and a very good spy. We also know that he has agreed to keep the intersect safe."

This news was somewhat calming to Chuck.

Sarah knew that there had to be more to it – this was way too simple. She looked at Bryce.

Bryce noticed Casey in the rafters to Sarah's left and he signalled to her.

Sarah saw Casey but didn't want to make his presence known so she started talking to Tommy.

Casey sets his sights on Tommy.

"Bryce told you he will direct his loyalties to you?"

"That's correct Agent Walker."

"What else did he tell you?"

Tommy started walking towards Chuck. "Oh lots of things." He grabbed Chuck from behind and with his gun in hand he dragged him back a few feet.

Sarah moved towards him but Tommy put the gun to Chuck's head. "Back off Ms Walker! Unless Mr. Bartowski is worth more to you dead. Besides, who would miss a CIA analyst anyway? With what Fulcrum has in store – all we need will be in the intersect."

Sarah was becoming more concerned by the minute and wished Casey would hurry up and make a move. Tommy's gun could go off at any moment.

The look on Chuck's face said it all. He was scared and knew the end was soon. "Sarah I'm freaking out here!"

"I know Chuck!"

Casey was also getting nervous watching the events unfold with Chuck's life in the hands of Tommy.

Tommy waved the gun back and forth near Chuck's head. "I'm assuming you know that besides Agent Larkin and Walker being partners ..."

Chuck directed his eyes to Tommy then Sarah.

"... they were also conducting business under the sheets?" Tommy continued.

Chuck couldn't believe what he had just heard – the one thing he wished wasn't true actually was.

Sarah looked at him, upset with herself that Chuck had found out like this. She hadn't wanted him to find out but if he had to then she would have preferred that she was the one to tell him.

Chuck tried to regain his composure as he looked at Sarah. "Talk to me?"

"Oh Chuck!" If she could turn back time at this moment and fix the hurt disappointed look on Chuck's face she would.

"Didn't you know Chuck?" Tommy threw in. "I'm terribly sorry you had to find out like this but yes Larkin and Walker were more than the golden couple on stage. And I heard that backstage it was Oscar worthy."

Chuck looked at Bryce then at Sarah disgusted with them both and for himself for believing that what he and Sarah had or were beginning to have was real. Nothing felt real anymore. He gave up and hung his head down.

Casey heard the news from where he was. _Larkin __and __Walker __wow, __but m__an __poor __Chuck. __He __could __see __that __Chuck __was __taking __it __pretty __hard __and __things __needed __to __move __quickly._

"So sorry Walker ... sorry to rain on your parade. I know you would have preferred to keep this vital bit of CIA information about your private life private but now I have your attention and I know Bryce is on board I can tell that your professional relationship with Mr. Bartowski has kind of taken a detour now that your dirty laundry is out in the open. By the looks of things Mr Bartowski felt something more for you than you did for him. Maybe now your partnership with Chuck has fizzled out you can resume one with Bryce?"

Sarah knew that Chuck was hurting but she had to be the agent now. She couldn't worry about his feelings. She turned so that she had her back to Casey.

Casey saw that Sarah had moved her stance and was motioning with her fingers. When she looked up at him Casey nodded.

Walker tried to make her move but Tommy took his gun and resumed his aim at Chuck. "Walker! You decide – your life or Chuck's?"

The Henchman that Sarah tried to take down got up from the ground.

Bryce saw the gun that had slid near his feet. He grabbed it and whispered to Sarah as he came up. "_I __need __to __do __this. __Forgive __me. __I__'__m __protecting __the __intersect __as __promised.__" _

Sarah wasn't sure what to make of Bryce's confession.

"Tommy, Walker's on board trust me but we need to take care and make sure the intersect is protected, right?"

"Yes, Bryce, we do. What do you have in mind?"

Bryce looked at Chuck then Sarah. "Tommy I promised to keep the intersect safe and being the agent that I am I do break many promises but this one I refuse to break. And as for Mr. Bartowski, one day he'll realize why…."

Sarah wasn't sure where Bryce was going with this or what he was going to do.

Bryce gave Casey a signal right hand over right ear that indicated someone was going down – take out remaining ….

Sarah couldn't see what Bryce had motioned to Casey because she and Chuck were standing off to his left.

"Tommy I am going to prove my loyalties and protect the intersect - leave it to me," Bryce said.

Tommy smiled thinking that he'd won. The only obstacle left was the analyst. He looked around the room as if he had won an award and missed Bryce raising his gun.

Sarah saw the gun rise to her eye level.

Bryce spoke for the last time. "Forgive me Chuck, you know that I don't break promises and I made a promise to you!" The gun went off and the bullet hit Chuck right in the middle of his chest taking him down instantly.

"Wow!" Tommy shouted. "Didn't see that coming. Neither did Chuck!"

Sarah pushed Bryce aside and ran to Chuck in tears. "Why, Bryce why!" All she could see was blood.

Casey looked down dumbfounded.

Tommy was very happy with Bryce.

Bryce just stared at the gun in hand.

"Man that was something." Tommy gleamed. "Too bad Chuck that you didn't see that one coming. You should have seen the look on your face."

Bryce gave the nod as Casey's gun went off and hit Tommy right in his heart. Tommy looked at Bryce.

"Yes Tommy that look."

Tommy took one last look at Bryce and fell to the ground.

Casey jumped down and knocked the other henchman out. He shoved Bryce out of the way and made his way to Chuck where he unlocked the cuffs on Sarah and Chuck.

Sarah tried to stem the flow of blood in Chuck's chest as best as she could.

Casey was instantly on the walkie-talkie calling for a medic and airlift.

Bryce just stood there looking at Chuck's lifeless body lying there on a cold cement warehouse floor. He looked at his friend. _He __was __protecting __the __intersect __he __told __himself__…_


	4. Chapter 4

_**CHAPTER 4 **_

_**Coma Truths, betrayals and the Hunting down of the Blond She male**_

No one knew how critical the situation was. The time in which it took the paramedics to arrive Sarah had cried a river of tears, her clothes where drenched in sweat and blood. Chuck's blood. The paramedics arrived and tried to get close to Chuck but Sarah had set her grip on him and wasn't letting go.

"Excuse me Miss, we need to tend to the patient," the paramedic explained but Sarah wouldn't let go of Chuck.

Casey got up and pried Sarah off Chuck and held her back so the paramedics could do their job.

They had to shock Chuck several times and each time Sarah yelled 'Stay with me!'

Chuck was in surgery for three hours. They tried to stop the bleeding but every time they got one bleed stopped another one appeared. Chuck's heart stopped again for the third time – symbolically his heart had stopped the first time and broke into pieces when he'd heard that Bryce and Sarah were lovers then literally when he was shot and on the table.

Sarah sat in the waiting room with Casey. She couldn't cry anymore. She couldn't express how she was feeling. She needed to cry. She needed to know that Chuck was going to be ok – he needed to be ok – she needed him to be ok.

Casey tried to be strong but the more and more he watched Sarah and how her persona changed when Chuck was around and when he wasn't – he knew something was going on, why else would Walker react like she did? She's a trained CIA agent. He hoped for Sarah's sake that Chuck survived. If he didn't he dreaded to think what Sarah would do. He was starting to like this Walker. The old Walker was unpredictable – she was Langston Graham's prodigy, his diamond in the rough, his wonder Agent. Casey didn't like the old Walker – maybe Chuck was the one who tamed the ol' gal.

Sarah had mustered enough strength to call Ellie and Devon as well as Morgan but by the time they arrived Chuck was out of surgery. Devon headed to the OR to get some info on his future brother in law. Ellie sat beside Sarah and they consoled each other. Ellie asked what happened but Sarah couldn't tell her the truth, well not all of it. She told Ellie enough to stop the questions leaving out the fact that Bryce had shot him. Sarah couldn't express how worried she was to Ellie and the more she tried to hide her feelings the more they showed.

Ellie walked back into the waiting room after being allowed to see Chuck. He had to remain in intensive care.

Sarah got up when she saw Ellie. "How is Chuck?"

Ellie walked over and Devon grabbed her in his arms. Ellie then turned to Sarah and Casey.

Sarah feared the worse.

"He's in critical condition," Ellie replied. "He lost a lot of blood. The bullet hit his chest wall and ricocheted hitting his lungs. They had to put him into an induced coma."

Sarah sat down and placed her face in her hands. She tried to keep her hands from shaking.

Casey sat down next to Sarah and when he saw her fidgeting he grabbed her hands in his. Nothing was said as they sat quietly in the waiting room waiting for more news about Chuck.

Ellie saw how upset Sarah was and regretted at first letting Sarah know that she was grateful for what she did when Chuck got shot. She knew that Sarah cared for her brother and that Chuck was starting to have feelings for Sarah even if he didn't know he was. Ellie walked over to Sarah, grabbed her hand and led her down the hall towards Chuck's room. "You're not supposed to be in here but I think that the hospital can make an exception this time."

Sarah looked at Ellie and gave her a smile as she whispered her thanks.

Ellie explained to Sarah what she could expect to see when she walked in the room.

Sarah nodded and opened the door. Hesitantly she walked towards Chuck. She was supposed to be the strong one. She wasn't supposed to be vulnerable or weak but seeing Chuck like this made her both. He was hooked up to several hoses and wires that kept him breathing and monitored his vitals. He had two huge bandages taped to his body – one in the middle of his chest where the bullet had gone through and the other where the bullet had exited out his left side knicking his lungs.

Sarah needed to touch him, to feel him to know that he was alive and even though he couldn't respond she hoped that he knew she was there. She carefully and gently ran her fingers over Chuck's hand and up his arm. She caressed his forehead and smoothed out his curls that had fallen out of place. As she leaned in and awkwardly kissed his cheek the tears that had been suppressed since she'd arrived at the hospital ran down her cheek and spilled onto his face.

Her tears and sobs fell into a solemn musical combined with the retraction of the life support system that kept Chuck breathing. She gently traced her fingers over his chest. She'd dreamed of touching him like this but this was not what or how she had planned it in her mind. Chuck still felt warm, his warm skin welcoming Sarah's chilled fingers.

She continued to caress his chest and around the bandages. _How__could __this __happen? __How __could __Bryce __just __shoot __you __Chuck?_ Sarah ran the whole event over and over in her head – Bryce's words _Please __forgive __me! __What __did __he __mean? __Was __he __sorry __that __he'd __shot __his __best __friend __or __that __he'd __got __caught? __But __why __would __he?__Sarah __was __at __her __wit's __end. S__he __knew __Bryce __but __there __was __more __to __this __and __she __hated __him __for __what __he __did __and __she __swore __that __she __would __do __anything __she __could __to __hunt __him __down._Sarah leaned in and kissed Chuck's heart which was the only place that didn't have a wire, tube or bandage attached to it even though it was indeed broken and she knew she had to fix it, but for now a kiss would have to do.

Bryce ditched the gun that he had shot Chuck with and in all the commotion he was able to split. He knew that 'they' would be looking for him and he knew that the CIA, mainly Sarah and Casey, would not stop looking for answers as to why he'd shot Chuck. Bryce needed to be one step ahead of Sarah. Working together for all those years meant that they knew each other inside and outside.

Bryce snuck into Castle and gathered some supplies then he sat at Chuck's computer. He had to let Chuck know why he'd shot him. He downloaded some files on Fulcrum and some files that he'd gotten from Mr. Bartowski explaining the purpose of Fulcrum's takeover. In the end of the email Bryce wrote a letter to Chuck.

_Hey buddy, _

_I am so sorry for what I did to you. I am so sorry that I had to resort to shooting you which was not my plan but I needed to protect you as was promised from the beginning. Remember when you asked me why I sent you the intersect in the first place and I told you that it was complicated and you asked me to make it less complicated well this is what I can tell you. I know it won't make up for me shooting you but it will make some sense that I needed to protect you as a promise to your father. I promised your father that I would do whatever it took to protect you because sending you the intersect wasn't a mistake. _

_Your father created the intersect a long ago and as far as I know this upload was not your first. When you were around nine year's old you snuck into your father's office and sat in front of his computer. Being the curious nerd that you were you pressed the button and hundreds of images were downloaded into your brain. When your father got back and found out that you were not affected by what happened he knew that his vision of a program that could store and retrieve data could be downloaded into someone's brain. But the person had to have a special chemical makeup to accept the amount of data an intersect could produce and accept._

_Others who tried before to download the intersect had their personalities switched and fears of their "alias" persona taking over, and in a few cases some died as a result. Your father knew that when that day came, when he figured it out, was the same day that the CIA wanted it. You were the only one that could handle it. Chuck, I don't know how your dad knew back then that the CIA/NSA would find a use for the intersect one day but I do know that he's an amazing guy. He created a decipher that man it seemed that it was written in the stars it was so beyond what was out there. He used science, technology, mythology, you name it, to create this thing. _

_When the CIA and NSA were asked to play nice they did but only for their own gain. They took your dad's data and created what is now in your head. When your dad heard that his files and that a new cipher had been created he was furious but there was nothing he could do now that it was in the Government's hands. He did have control on where the files/cipher ended up and that is where I came into the picture. I kept in contact with your dad through college and when I was recruited by the CIA he found out about it. He knew that if I could be recruited with my average you could too and he swore that he didn't want his son to become an agent like him – Ya! Chuck your dad was an agent. Your dad asked me to prevent this from happening. They were going to recruit you to a project called the Omaha project which was a military opt so I got you kicked out of Stanford to prevent you from being recruited into the CIA. The day you were going to write your final was the day that they were coming to recruit you. You had a meeting with Professor Fleming and I made it look like you cheated and that you hid the tests in your room. I couldn't think of anything else to do. Maybe my actions were not what normal people would do in the same situation but you know me Chuck, act first then answer. So when I was able to get the files and send them to you. I had to run but I also needed to know that you were safe so I had to make arrangements to have them send someone that I could trust with your life – someone who I knew would protect you – So your dad made it possible for Langston Graham to send Sarah._

_The funny part was that you and Sarah were supposed to cross paths back when the Omaha project started. The Omaha project was a project that your dad Orion was working on and the data was classified a mega 17 – we needed to protect the data – but as soon as the greed of others found a place within the alliance groups like Fulcrum, The Ring, The Fornax Group, CYGNUS these groups were created from that and grew rapidly with the selling and maintaining of fake businesses. They were able to operate under radar of the real CIA. Your dad wanted to protect the real CIA from men like Tommy and someone known to us as "The Man" which one day you may come into contact with so please be careful. I heard he's a nasty guy and the stars don't lie. _

_Also people like Jill. I was blinded and was used just like you were buddy but you need to know that Jill was your past and your future looks pretty good – after you recover you'll see that you have a lot of people who love and care for you – and Sarah is one of them. Yes we were involved but to be honest it's nothing like what you and her can have – we were together just to be together. There was no love in the true sense of the word. I cared for her but not what I see when you look at her and she at you. Be careful Chuck, the CIA frowns on CIA hookups. This is what I know for now and I know that Sarah will not rest till she gets the answers she wants so I figured I would tell you so you can tame the she-male that we both know can creep up. _

_Got to run. I hope that one day I can face you without getting shot myself. You're like a brother to me and I hope that one day forgiveness can follow._

_Bryce_

Bryce logged off the computer, grabbed his bag and disappeared into the night.

The early morning sun crept through the trees and shone into Chuck's room. Sarah embraced the warmth of the morning sun. She knew that she had another day, another quiet moment, to be with Chuck. He had been up and down during the night but it seemed like he was finally settling down. His heart rate sprang up to a dangerous high during the night but had returned to normal when she'd placed her hand on him. Sarah believed that Chuck had sensed her and because of that touch he was able to settle down. She had stayed the night knowing that it would end soon if Beckman had her say. Sarah had watched Chuck all night as the machines breathed for him and while he slept she started to plan her revenge, planning what she would do to make this right.

Ellie and Devon arrived as their shifts started.

Devon looked over Chuck's charts and vitals and placed the clipboard down on the edge of the bed. "His vitals look good, but he's not out of the woods yet."

"Will he be taken off the ventilators any time soon?"

Devon turned to look at Sarah. "Only time will tell. Once his levels improve and he wakes up we can take him off the ventilators. Until then we wait." He placed his hand on Sarah's shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze then he headed out.

Ellie walked over to Chuck and whispered 'I love you' in his ear.

Sarah stood up and gave Ellie a hug as she walked out of the room then she returned to her thoughts of making Bryce pay.

"I know that look Walker," Casey said as he walked into the room carrying breakfast. "Do I dare ask what you are planning? We both know that when you think it usually involves some form of retaliation!"

"Not always!"

Casey placed the coffees down on the table. "Who are you kidding Walker?" With a light hearted grunt.

Casey walked over to over to Chuck. "What's the latest?"

Sarah was surprised that Casey hadn't called Chuck a moron or nerd like he usually did. Chuck's accident must have hit a feely nerve. Maybe Casey's hardened soldier heart was slowly beginning to be heart-warmed.

"Devon said there hasn't been much change and we won't know what's really going on till Chuck wakes up."

"Not sure if Chuck should wake up remembering that his best friend shot him. If I were him I would stay sleeping."

"Casey!"

"Hey you're thinking the same thing. We don't know why your ex-boyfriend shot your present one so I am going with the latter."

Sarah walked over to Casey and Chuck. "For your information Bryce is no longer my boyfriend and as for Chuck, what we have ..." Sarah paused mid-sentence. "Our mission is to get him to wake up and search for answers on why Bryce shot him." She didn't look at Casey.

Casey knew that Sarah meant more.

Hospital conference room

"Agent Walker and Major Casey, I know that you want the best for Chuck but until he wakes up and until Bryce is in custody we can't continue with Team Bartowski. Having one agent down is bad enough but to have a rogue agent loose who has ties to this team and the one who shot one of my agents is not be acceptable."

"General, what do you suggest?"

"Casey all we can do is wait. I want to reiterate that no other members awake will do anything or take revenge that I know both of you are thinking of doing." General Beckman gave a stern look to both Walker and Casey. "Do I make myself clear!"

"Yes General!" They both agreed.

The General walked down the hall and entered Chuck's room alone. Upon General Beckman's return Casey and Walker stood in the hall.

**Two****days****later**:

Sarah looked at her watch. She knew that Beckman would soon be sending new agents in to watch Chuck as Team Bartowski was benched. This was her chance to head out and search for Bryce. She leaned over and pushed back another tear. If Chuck knew she had cried this much over him he would tell her that she had been heart-warmed. She loved feeling the way she did – it wasn't something she had experienced a whole lot of. She knew she had feelings for Chuck but she also knew that she couldn't act on them no matter what. But who was she kidding? Chuck had started to knock down her walls and eventually Agent Walker would lose herself in him.

She touched Chuck for maybe the last time. She didn't know what she was getting herself into but she needed to get some answers. She didn't know if or when she would see Chuck again. She placed her hand around the side of his head and as she kissed him on the cheek her finger ran down his chest one more time. Just before she left she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"You stay strong and I'll be back as quick as I can. I am going to find some answers for you. I am going to find Bryce! I am kind of glad that you can't respond and argue with me, but I really wish that you would." She took one last look at Chuck then grabbed her bag and quietly left the hospital.

**Two weeks later ...**

It had been two weeks since Chuck had been shot. He'd woken up three days after Sarah left.

Casey had kept him company and kept him entertained. While Ellie had him eating hospital food Casey snuck in contraband consisting of the infamous Buy More cheese balls. "So when are you going to tell me where Sarah is?"

"What do you mean? Casey asked tossing some cheese balls in his mouth.

"I get that you guys have a life but for Sarah not being here especially when I wake up it's not like her. And for you, it's not characteristic and definitely not like you to be one of the first people I see then you quickly leave which means that you're in contact with Sarah or she's in contact with you so where is she Casey?"

Casey looked at his watch. "Is that the time already, I better let you rest." He got up and walked towards the door.

"Casey you get back here and tell me where Sarah is!"

"Bye Chuck."

Chuck tried to get up but tumbled in pain and sat back in his bed. He ran his hands through his hair. _Where __are __you __Sarah?__I __hope __you __haven__'__t __gone __off __somewhere __that __you __shouldn__'__t __be._He dozed off and his thoughts of Sarah turned into a nightmare. He woke up in a sweat and pressed the call button on his bed. He wondered if his dream was real or intersect driven.

A nurse followed closely by Casey ran into his room. "What can I do for you ?"

The nurse looked over his vitals. "Something for the pain?"

Chuck knodded.

"Okay, I'll be right back." The nurse left.

Casey pulled up a chair. "Spill it Bartowski."

"What do you mean? I'm in pain and would like to sleep!"

"There's more to it so spill it."

The nurse returned and gave Chuck something for the pain, gave him a wink and left the room.

Casey grunted. "Don't let Walker know that the nurse was flirting with you. You know how she feels about you and brunettes."

"Speaking of Sarah, where is she and why hasn't she been to see me? Did Beckman tell her not to come?

"Chuck, no, Beckman did not do anything to prevent her from seeing you. She's not avoiding you, she's…." He paused then decided to tell Chuck the truth. "Sarah was here by your side from the day you arrived in hospital. When you got shot she stayed with you. I had to pry her off you when you were taken by paramedics. She camped out by your bed for days. Ellie had to arrange a bed for her because she refused to leave your side. Beckman's only involvement was to inform us that we were benched till you were able to join us. She even came to visit you. I think that you've grown on her."

"But what about Sarah? If you said that she was here then where is she now?"

"I don't know?" Casey looking concerned.

"Why don't you know where she is? This is Sarah we're talking about."

"Exactly and we both know that when Sarah wants to be found she will make it happen, otherwise we don't worry."

"Casey, what are you not telling me? What I just woke up from was not a dream that I would like to have dreamt about."

"Chuck you have nothing to worry about. Sarah got some Intel, I don't know how but she did, on the whereabouts of Bryce. She wanted to find Bryce and bring him back to explain why he did what he did."

"Why would Bryce need to be found? Isn't he with you ... I mean the CIA?"

Casey explained to Chuck what had happened after he got shot. '_After __Bryce __shot __you, __and __we __don__'__t __know __why __he __did __it, __he __made __some __comments __that __made __Sarah __start __to __wonder __why? __He __told __her __that __he __had __to __do __what __was __the safest __for __you __and __that __he __would __never __break __the __promise __he __made __to __you. __He __promised __to __protect __you __and __the __intersect __and __by __his __methods __he __thought __he __did. __With __all __the __commotion __with __you __getting __shot __he __slipped __out __of __sight. __Tommy __was __shot __dead. __I __believe __that __Sarah __feels __like __she __needs __to __do __this __so __don__'__t __jump __to __any __conclusions __till __we __hear __from __her. __As __far __as __I __am __concerned __I __hope __Bryce __gets __what__'__s __coming __to __him __for __what __he __did __to __you.__"_

Chuck looked at Casey. "So I am supposed to sit here and wait? You know I can't do that!"

He started to get up.

Casey quickly put his hand on Chuck's shoulder and forced him back. "Moron, you're in no condition to go anywhere and if you were - where would you start?"

Chuck cringed in pain knowing that Casey was right but he wasn't going to let physical pain stop him from finding out where Sarah had gone. "You're right but this isn't over!" The medication had started to work and Chuck could feel the effects. "We will finish this when I wake up." He closed his eyes.

Casey pulled the blankets up around Chuck. "I know, get some sleep buddy." _Sarah __you __better __come __back __alive._

**South America**

Sarah had been hot on Bryce's trail. The only positive thing that had come out of her and Bryce's relationship was that she knew their old stomping grounds. She also knew how he operated and she knew where to find his contacts. Sarah had been within a few days of Bryce when she stumbled upon some Intel. She took what she found and hid out in her motel room. Bryce had met up with a seedy character that had ties with Tommy. This guy knew of an ex CIA agent who had comprised some files while creating hidden soridic codes embedded on papyrus paper. These codes were supposedly written to decipher and create a circumference that ended up being apart of the Omaha project in late 2006. These codes were to be solved by whomever had come in contact with the intersect. They believed the one who held the intersect could possibly answer and decipher the codes. Hence making the prophecy come true, or whatever these codes were supposed to do. But no one knew who had the intersect till Bryce sent it to Chuck. Prior to that it was just a set of condensed files on a CIA server?

Sarah paced her room trying to figure out reason(s) why Bryce would want this information and why he would use Chuck like he did. He didn't have the intersect and as far as Sarah knew no one knew who had it.

Sarah grabbed some clothes, put her hair in a ponytail and walked into the bathroom. She needed to have a shower desperately but she also needed to get back home. She knew that Chuck was awake and she regretted not being there when he woke up but her feelings and acting on them had to wait as usual.

**THAT NIGHT ...**

Sarah crept down a sewage manhole looking for the squeaky little man that Bryce had come in contact with. She wanted to hear for herself what Bryce had been looking for. She wanted Bryce to pay and if it took bringing down his contacts then so be it. She reached the end of the manhole, climbed up the ladder and slowly lifted the manhole cover. She saw the squeaky little man and his entourage. They were talking about Bryce. She listened to get some information. They mentioned Bryce and how he had used them. _"__Typical __Bryce __use __and __run, __your __motto __Bryce.__"_

Sarah waited till the entourage left then she crawled out. She crept up and peered up and into a window of a small watering hole. She didn't recognize anyone but knew Bryce had been there. She had to make her move. _"__Ready __Walker, __ready __to __put __on __the __best __performance __of __your __life__ – __make __it __believable, __even __for __you.__" _

She walked in the room fell silent. There stood a tall 6-foot blonde haired knock out in army fatigues. "I am looking for my boyfriend! I know that he's been here – his name is Bryce Larkin!"

The room created some slight chatter but nothing to grab Sarah's attention at first until she headed to the bar and a man in the corner piped up with a thick Columbian accent.

"What do need with such a man?"

"He's my boyfriend." Sarah looked around to see where the voice was coming from. Oh she wished that Chuck was here to flash on the guy.

The voice's owner came out of the shadows. He was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a thick goatee. "I may know something of this Bryce Larkin character but I am surprise that a woman like you can't keep a guy like Larkin at home if you know what I mean."

_Sarah __tried __to __keep __her __breakfast __from __coming __up __and __her __anger __under __control._She smiled trying to continue to look the part of a doting girlfriend. She'd lived the part once so she could easily re-enact the role now.

"Yes, senor Larkin was here trying to do some business but we concluded early and he left. Why don't we have a drink?"

Sarah had to look like the desperate girlfriend so she obliged on the drink taking a big swig then slammed the glass down. "So!" Looking at the little Columbian man. "You said that you have seen my boyfriend." _She __used __the __word __lightly __because __she __hoped __that __the __title __would __be __given __to __Chuck __someday._"What were you two discussing that made him leave me?"

"I wouldn't think that Larkin would be the type of guy to put business in front of pleasure especially," he said eyeing Sarah up and down.

She could feel his eyes on her and wished that she could have another shower but she had to get some info on why Bryce was meeting with this guy and why Bryce shot Chuck. "I am flattered, but you were saying that Bryce had met with you ... regarding?"

"Oh Yes! He wanted some information about a man named Tommy whom he said had steered him wrong. He also said that he was looking for some information on starting up some business in mining. Larkin wanted to dwell in the manufacturing of natural material to build stuff – yeah he needed the iron or was it copper? Anyways I said that I knew a few people in Columbia and maybe Chile but that it would cost him a lot of money if you get my drift."

_Sarah was quickly trying to figure out in her head why Bryce wanted to start a business unless it was a front – ok come on Walker think ... intersect +mining + Bryce+ Fulcrum = Chuck. _She knew that she had to make her way out before this guy started to get suspicious. She was just about to get up when the little man grabbed her ass; this was a big NO NO.

"Come on one more drink and maybe your boyfriend, if he is really your boyfriend like you say he is, might come back."

Sarah knew that her acting on this particular scene needed to end very quickly. She grabbed the man's hand and bent it backwards and got up in his face. "NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER, grab my ass again or it will be the last thing your precious hand will ever touch!"

Just then the little man's men came up from behind and grabbed Sarah by the arms. She quickly released the man's hand and he sat back in his chair holding his hand. The two men pulled her off their boss and started to get a little rough. Sarah stepped on the toes of the one man and he released his grip on her right arm. She then took her right arm and shoved it up and under the chin of the other guy. He fell backwards holding his neck. The first guy resumed his hold but this time Sarah threw a hard kick to the back if his knee and he collapsed to the floor. The other guy continued to throw punches but Sarah was too much for this guy to keep up. Sarah threw one more punch to his neck and chin area and another to his groin. As he fell to the ground Sarah did a twist and spin and her right foot slammed into his face knocking him out completely. The first guy knew he too had met his match but Sarah was not done with him. With all the anger and emotions running through her veins she stood over him and grabbed his collar, threw more punches that made him plead for her to stop. She didn't feel pity for him when she stopped she stopped because she was tired. She let go of his collar and he fell to the floor. The little man got up from where he was sitting and Sarah grabbed him by his tie. The look on his face when she turned him around made her laugh inside. He was so scared that when she held up her hand to punch him he passed out. She released her hold on his tie and stepped over the first guy's passed out body. She looked around and everyone remained quiet as she grabbed the ID's of the three men lying on the ground. She thanked the owner of the establishment and threw him some money from the wallet of the little man and left.

Sarah ran back to her motel room, grabbed her camera and took pictures of the ID's and sent them to her files at Castle – she didn't want to have any files or Intel on her in case she got caught.

Word quickly got around Columbia of a blonde she-male causing a ruckus – she was considered armed and dangerous. Sarah heard these rumours and loved the attention and the fact that they considered her a threat meant that people were starting to worry that their seedy lifestyles may come to an end.

Bryce continued to meet with groups to get info on copper manufacturing. He also burned a few bridges along the way that Sarah had to put out. _Always __putting __out __your __fires __Bryce. __Why __not __come __back __and __rebuild __the __ruins __of __the __one __fire __you __set __and __never __put __out __with __Chuck?_ She had one more lead to follow and told herself that this would be the last one. She wanted to get back to Chuck, back to a 'normal' life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks goes out to MsRomanceWriter for her time and additions to this story. This story was written for fun and for the love of the show. So for those out there that think that Chuck only belongs to a small group your wrong -if my ideas here have sparked others to write awesome or the story has some familiar tones/ideas great because it's a great show and it is not hard to have similar ideas when writing.**

**Enjoy and I own nothing in regards to Chuck(too bad though)**

**Thank you all for the wonderful words of encouragement and support, it's cool to have fans that like my work all honesty I never thought that what was in my head would be of interest to anyone - – MRW can relate to what's in my brain and how it works… **

Chapter 5 - A saviour to come Los Angeles

Chuck was waiting in his hospital bed for the doctor to come and give him the last check over and hopefully he could go home. Casey had brought his phone in because he was tired of hearing Chuck whine about not having it. Casey had taken on the role of sole protector of Chuck as Sarah was 'out there' somewhere.

Casey and Chuck were bonding but not in the typical sense of the word. Chuck would ask Casey a question or two and Casey would respond in a grunt or three. Chuck was starting to associate Casey's grunt with particular responses and he was getting pretty good at it – most of the time he did it out of pure pleasure which made Casey agitated at first but knew that it was their way of communicating.

Ellie and Chuck's doctor came in and looked at his chart then looked at Chuck.

Chuck sat waiting for the news that he could go home where hopefully Sarah was waiting for him. It had been going on two weeks since he had been shot and being in a coma he had lost him three days within that two weeks. Plus having a doctor as a sister he was required to spend the maximum amount of days allotted for whomever got shot to stay in hospital. Though physically he didn't need to stay in the hospital that long. Chuck figured that it was Ellie's way to keep an eye on him. If Ellie knew where he was then he couldn't get into any trouble and go on any missions.

"Well Mr. Bartowski, it looks like everything is good but you need to take it easy, any strenuous activity can open up the incisions and you can start to bleed again. You will feel pain in both incisions as you heal on the inside. Get plenty of rest and if needed some pain medication can be taken. If you feel any discomfort please come see me or talk to your sister."

Chuck looked at Ellie and Casey and smiled. It was the best news he had heard in a long time.

The doctor said his goodbyes and left. Chuck got up and walked over to the closet to grab his clothes that Casey had brought over along with his phone. He went to the bathroom to change then walked over to the bed to grab his phone and watch. He turned around and saw a wheelchair. He looked up at Ellie. "Seriously?"

"Yes and don't argue. I am still you sister and I am in charge," Ellie said enjoying that she got to order him around for a moment or two.

Casey thought that she would make a good soldier with that attitude but having two Bartowski's fighting for the well being of the United States of America would make former President Ronald Reagan turn over in his grave.

Ellie wheeled Chuck to the entrance of the hospital and gave both Casey and Chuck strict orders on what to do and what not to do. "I will be on duty for 72 hours so I won't be home but Casey I am leaving Chuck in your care so nothing spy related …UNDERSTOOD!"

Casey looked down at Chuck who was still sitting in the wheelchair. "Yes ma'am."

Columbia Sarah had tossed the ID's she took from the men at watering hole and threw them in a garbage can near the watering hole. She was heading back down the manhole which seemed to be the easiest way to get in and out of places there without getting caught. Still being seen as a threat and the whole she-male thing she opted to be safe. Sarah was heading down a long narrow path when she heard some voices. She quickly turned around as she passed a hole in the tunnel where at least she could hide somewhat. She made it just in time as three men came walking down the path. She didn't recognize the men – she thought that maybe the men were the ones she took out in the watering hole hours before. One voice she did recognize belonged to Bryce Larkin. But his voice was not the one who was talking it was the voice that belonged to the body that was being dragged behind the last two guys. Sarah remained quiet as the voices faded in the distance. When she thought that it was safe she crept out and looked left at the way out and back to Chuck then she looked right and saw the drag marks of Bryce's feet. Sarah despised the man for what he did but she couldn't leave him or could she?

She needed the answers to why Chuck was shot and in order to get those answers she had to keep Bryce alive. Sarah followed the tracks that led to an open mine shaft. It had a few cargo tracks for shipping out coal, low hanging lights attached to wires that were clipped to the walls of the cave. There she also saw a room with a set of stairs attached to the wall of the cave. She looked around on the ground and it looked pretty safe at least that's what she thought. She crept around and quietly walked up the stairs. She leaned over the rail to look into the room. She saw the two men who had carried Bryce tie him up with some ropes and chains. The other man sat on counter. They must have been waiting for someone to arrive. By the looks of things this was not a good place to be in and by what the men were explaining to Bryce he had burned his last bridge and whoever was coming knew that he could ruin the whole plan.

"Larkin you're just going to hang here for a while and wait. Your loyalty has been questioned. We haven't heard from Tommy and we're getting a little worried because you were the last man to see him. And you're here and he's not – so are you going to tell us where Tommy is?"

Bryce didn't respond and because he kept quiet till the 3rd man threw a punch into Bryce's gut. Bryce tried to regain his breath. He remained quiet, which was not what the 3rd guy wanted or needed so he turned around and threw a right fist into Bryce's left side of his face. Bryce spat out the blood that filled his mouth.

Sarah gasped and quickly leaned back against the rock wall. She needed to act fast or her answers would end up buried in a dead Bryce. She hated to save the man but the one she wanted to be with needed the answers – she needed to find the answers to make everything right.

The 3rd man took one more lick at Bryce and cleaned his hand off with a cloth that was on the table. "You just hang here for awhile and "The Man" will be here shortly then you would have wished that you said something to me."

The three men got up and left the room.

Sarah jumped up to the roof of the office and laid low till the men exited the room and walked down the stairs and down the path. She jumped down and turned the doorknob but it was locked. She grabbed her lock pick and picked the lock. She quietly crawled inside and saw Bryce hanging there bleeding.

Bryce looked up in pure shock. "What the heck are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!"

"No kidding!"

"Then why are you here and not with Chuck?"

"You need to get out of here and I'm not joking, I can take care of it myself!"

"Yeah, like your doing a good job of doing it!"

"Just a slight disadvantage, I can handle it so you need to leave, now Sarah. I don't need saving."

"Tell someone who cares. I am here to save your ass when I would like to shoot it! What kind of mess are you in and why did you shoot Chuck?"

"Is he ok?"

"Why do you care?"

"Sarah it's complicated and one day I will tell you the truth but you need to get out of here, it's not safe and they will be back! Is Chuck ok?"

"Yes I think so."

"You think so? Where is he?"

"I left him in LA with Casey. The last I saw of him he was in a coma that you put him in and I needed answers to why Chuck was shot so that is why I am here. But it doesn't explain why you're in cuffs and waiting for a guy whose name is "The Man".

"Sarah listen to me – I know that I am the last person you wanted to see down here but you need to believe me when I tell you – it is safer for you to leave and go back to LA and protect Chuck while I protect him down here."

"Why should I believe you? You shot your best friend and you call that protecting him. I call it saving your ass – it has always been that way – look out for number one YOU and not worry what could happen to the rest."

"It's not like that Sarah!"

"Well it's not what I see. Your best friend almost died because you felt the need to save him. I would like to see what would happen if you didn't need to keep someone safe. Maybe Chuck wouldn't have two holes in his body. So because I need the answers and Chuck needs to hear the reasons why you shot him, this is the only reason I'm doing what I'm doing." She picked the lock on the cuffs and Bryce fell to the ground then she walked over to the window to see if anyone was coming. She looked at Bryce and told him to follow her.

"Sarah you don't get it – I need to do this! This guy is the last lead I have that will bring down Fulcrum. This guy is the reason why Fulcrum is getting so big so fast. I need to find out who he is and shut this mine down and the one that I believe is in Chile. Without this guy's Intel, the intersect that they think I have will be needed and I would have to prove myself that I am the only intersect. They believe that the intersect has some ability to decipher some codes. If I can't decipher the codes I am dead man. And this time my gun that shot Chuck would be a piece of cake compared to what they will do to him when they find out that he is the only intersect. I promised to keep Chuck safe and I will do what I need to keep it that way."

Sarah didn't know what to believe. The Intel that she'd received and what Bryce had just told her were the same. _So__Bryce__isn__'__t__lying__but__that__doesn__'__t__answer__why__he__shot__Chuck,__it__just__explains__that__whoever__holds__the__intersect__may__be__able__to__decipher__codes._She opened the door and started to walk out. "Are you coming?"

Bryce looked up at her. "I can't. I know that you don't get it but I promised to protect Chuck!"

"I have heard that over and over so why don't you come back and explain everything to Chuck before I kick your ass back to LA because lately I have been doing a lot of that."

Bryce looked up. "You're the she-male that everyone has been talking about?"

"Yeah I am so don't tick me more off than I already am!"

Bryce laughed that Sarah was the infamous she-male but it didn't surprise him.

"I've been putting out your fires when you need to come back and fix the one that you started in LA!"

"Sarah I can't ... not yet. You need to trust me. I told you back at the warehouse that I had to do whatever I needed to do to protect Chuck. I made a promise to a very important man and I am not going to break it now so if you can't understand that or you can't accept it then fine but you need to leave before something happens to you. By the looks of things you came without back up so if you want a future with Chuck I'm asking you nicely to get the heck out of here!" He walked over to Sarah and kissed her cheek – this time there was nothing sexual about it. It was a kiss from someone who cared for another.

Sarah didn't know what to say and turned to look at him.

Bryce motioned for her to be quiet.

They crept out of the door and headed for the roof to watch the three men return. They both needed to get out of there but they needed to take out the three men first.

Sarah slid down the backside of the room and crawled down the scaffolding to the ground .

Bryce followed and hid behind a cargo bin.

The three men walked up the stairs and quickly ran down scattering around the mine. "He couldn't have gone far, there is only one exit out of here unless he went down the tracks that lead to the river." The taller man sent the other man down the tracks towards the river and the two remaining men cased the mine.

Bryce looked at Sarah and gave her the nod then stood up to get the men's attention.

They came running and Bryce started punching and hitting the men.

Sarah waited for the right moment and she too entered the fight. Within a few minutes both men were down and out for the count.

Bryce grabbed the guns and gave Sarah one with a few extra magazines. "You need to get out of here!"

"Not without you! Chuck needs the answers."

"I know but I can't and I won't till I know that he's safe. Head towards town and I'll go after the one who headed towards the river." Bryce said his goodbyes and left.

Sarah was fuming that Bryce had just left. She turned and allowing her heart to answer for her she headed down the track towards the river. If Bryce wasn't going to come on his own she was going to force him with any means possible.

Bryce had run ahead but he heard footsteps behind him and wondered if the others had awakened and were coming after him. He heard the steps coming closer and he turned around and aimed his gun. There stood Sarah aiming her gun at him.

As the two stood gun to gun the man who headed to the river came back and was aiming his gun at Bryce. "Put your guns down you two!"

Bryce and Sarah had been in similar situations like this before and they knew how to handle it so with in the blink of an eye the man was taken down. As they were getting themselves ready to walk towards the river the sound of guns cocking was heard through the walls of the cave.

Sarah could see red laser lights and knew that these guns were not to be messed with.

Bryce and Sarah slowly turned around when then were asked to.

"Put you guns down and put your hands in the air. So Larkin, who's the girl?"

Bryce didn't answer. He faked a fall and landed on his knees then he leaned over to Sarah's boot remembering that she kept her distress call button attached to the inside of her boot so that if she ever got caught they couldn't find it unless they took her boots off. He quickly leaned in and pressed the button hoping that Sarah would not feel his fingers in her boot.

One of the men helped Bryce get up. "You're slipping Bryce and now to have a woman come and save you. You two are going to have to wait till 'The Man' arrives and you better pray that nothing happens to her."

Los Angeles

Chuck got up from the wheelchair. He turned around and gave his sister a hug and watched her walk back into the hospital then he grabbed his phone and turned it on. As soon as it came to life Sarah's distress rang out. Chuck looked at the phone then at Casey. "What's going on? Why is Sarah's distress signal going off? That means she's in danger."

Casey got on the phone and called Beckman. He knew he shouldn't but when an agent's call button goes off its protocol.

"Casey what are we going to do?

"We can't do anything until Beckman gives the ok. We don't know where she is or how to find her."

"Get me to Castle. I can find her ... Casey please!"

Casey grunted and he knew that he shouldn't but it was Sarah. It was a member of Team Bartowski.

**Castle, Burbank**

Beckman appeared on the screen and informed the team that because Sarah went on her own they can't go in with their guns a blazing. They need to find her first and until then Chuck and Casey needed to sit tight.

Chuck couldn't do that. He slowly sat down and brought up the signal that he received from Sarah. He started a GPS coordination sequence and pressed start. He tired several other options but nothing helped. He was getting upset until he noticed that there had been a few emails sent to Sarah email account. He opened Sarah's file.

"Chuck, those are Government files that you're breaking into," Casey said when he saw what he was doing.

"Yeah and your point is? I can't sit here and wait for the Government to decide to go and find Sarah when I can do it faster."

"And if you find her, who is going to go get her?'

"I am!"

"You and who's army?"

"YOU!" Chuck looked up at him.

Casey was more than willing to go in with his guns blazing but he couldn't take Chuck. He'd promised Ellie that nothing would happen to her brother. "You're not going. I promised your sister that I would keep you safe and sending you out there was not part of the deal."

"Not too worry Casey, Ellie is on call for 72 hours. Once we have confirmation on Sarah's location we can go in and be back before my sister finishes work. She will never know."

Chuck continued to hack into Sarah's files. Her passwords were very easy to access – Chuck had to laugh at one of the passwords which was 'spyropizza'. They had never had their pizza night thanks to Bryce.

Several passwords later Chuck found Sarah's email and opened up the most recent one.

Casey sat down next to Chuck and they both read the Intel that Sarah had found.

Chuck did some searching on the Internet and at the same time the GPS came up with her location as Segovia Columbia – a North Eastern mining town.

Segovia Columbia The room was quiet after the men had left. Sarah turned her neck for it was the only thing she could move. "So, now what are we going to do? We need to get out of here and back to LA!"

"I told you Sarah, you can't stay here. I'm not going back with you till I get what I need to do to protect Chuck."

"You keep saying that but you give me no reason to believe you all. I have seen what you're capable of and staying here to get whatever it is you need is not going to keep you alive."

"You don't get it Sarah!"

"You got that right. First you supposedly die then you're brought back to life only to shoot your best friend to 'protect' him from whomever and whatever then you get your ass kicked and dragged into a mine. What it tells me is that you have no idea what you're doing and all your plans have no direction at all."

"Not all of them. Chuck got the intersect as planned." Bryce wished he hadn't said that. He knew that she wouldn't let it go – maybe she didn't hear him but who was he kidding – this was Sarah he was talking to.

"What do you mean 'as planned'?"

"Sarah the less you know the safer you are so drop it!"

Sarah wasn't ready to give up on getting the answers she needed but she knew Bryce wasn't going to talk. She had to find out another way before her life was left to rot in one of these mines. She tried to break out of the ropes that had her tied. She wiggled and twisted till she was able to get one hand free then the other. She untied the ropes around her legs and turned to Bryce and untied his ropes.

They both got up and tried to find a way out.

"Sarah you need to head up the path to where you came in and get out of here!"

Sarah looked at him wondering what was going on in his mind. _Why__would__he__go__to__all__this__trouble__for__Chuck?__Who__was__he__answering__to__if__it__wasn__'__t__the__men__in__Fulcrum?__She__knew__for__sure__that__Bryce__was__playing__both__sides__but__his__loyalties__for__the__real__CIA__were__unclear._She was about to respond to his suggestion when they heard the men return. Before they could hide the men noticed the ropes had been removed and looked up and saw Bryce and Sarah heading out the window.

One man ran after them and out the window while the other two men ran back down the stairs. The one man caught up to Bryce and a wrestling match ensued.

Sarah turned back and joined in. She was tired of fighting these guys and wanted it to be over but her judgement and lack of attention warranted a few unnecessary blows to her midsection. She was losing her stride and balance – her strength and endurance was running out.

Bryce was able to hold his own but he needed to act fast or they'd both be dead. He knew that they would eventually get rid of Sarah but by then the distress signal would eventually hit LA and help would soon come. He also knew that Sarah could hold her own till then. He couldn't let them know that he wasn't the intersect but eventually all spies talk. He threw one more punch and yelled at Sarah, "Take care and I'm so sorry. I will explain everything one day." As his shout hit her ears a blow of a pipe knocked her off her feet and to the ground. Bryce skidded to a stop and looked back as the three men dragged Sarah's lifeless body away.

"She can stay there. I am done with her." One of the men yelled to the others. "Go find Larkin, before we're all dead!"

The remaining man, upset that he had to deal with Sarah again, walked over to her and kicked her in the face. Sarah's body just flew back with the force of the kick.

**Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean**

Chuck had reread the Intel for the millionth time. He tried to flash on every word or picture but every flash just gave him pieces of a puzzle he wasn't capable of solving. He tried writing out the sequences but it ended up looking like hieroglyphics and Egyptian like sanscript.

"Casey, are we going to find her? I have been through this Intel that Sarah sent to herself and I'm coming up with nothing."

Casey turned towards Chuck. "We will find her and yes you will find something – try using the brain that you were born with instead of the intersect. I hear that Stanford only lets in the smartest people, don't they?"

Chuck gave Casey a small smile.

Chuck was growing on him and he knew that Casey needed Chuck too.

Chuck flipped to the beginning and started reading it again. He must have dozed off when he awoke to a page that he swore he looked at the first time. He reread it and was thrown back to a memory of his childhood. He remembered his dad showing him some Egyptian pictures and each one was associated to a word or phrase. He also remembered that Ellie cared less about the Egyptian mumble jumble but she liked the word puzzles much better that deciphering pictures. So she would solve the word puzzles and Chuck and his dad would solve the hieroglyphics. One of the pages had several pictures/symbols on it so Chuck took his pen and jotted down what they meant or what he thought they meant.

_*Swan – stars – northern – Orion – Cygnus – milky way – road – passage – circle - *_

Chuck looked at the list of words. At first they meant nothing to him but the more he thought about them the more he started to remember where he had heard these words before. Most of the words he heard from his dad was one summer when he was about nine years old. He remembered him and his dad going camping in the Northern California Forest looking at the stars. His dad had told him about the Milky Way, where it was located, where the small and big dippers where and other constellations. When he focussed on the Orion and Cygnus belts there was a huge mythology history behind it, that Chuck remembered as well but why would he think of his dad when this was not or had anything to do with his dad.

Chuck shrugged the idea off and got back to the Intel that Sarah sent. He flipped a few pages and came to a symbol that had three lines, two crisscrossed each other at the bottom of each line and the third was laid on top of the two other lines with a circle that encased the three lines. Chuck quickly flashed on the symbol and a name popped into his head 'The Fornax Group'.

Chuck quickly snapped out of the flash which got Casey's attention. "So what did you flash on Bartowski?"

"A name ... The Fornax Group." Chuck looked at Casey.

"Do you have an idea what it is?"

"It has to be something that Sarah was looking into or Bryce but I got nothing."

Just then the stewardess came walking by and happened to hear Casey and Chuck talking about the name Fornax Group. She came back with a newspaper article that had the name on it.

"I'm sorry to barge in on your conversation but when you mentioned the Fornax Group I couldn't help myself. Here you go. This might answer your questions."

Chuck looked up and thanked the woman. He quickly read the article and gave Casey a quick run down. "It's the name of a mining group here in Columbia. They are located in a town called Segovia. They deal in mining minerals but mainly mining of copper. They were awarded the most successful mining company in South America next to Machali Chile two years running."

"Ok we'll start there," Casey replied as he adjusted his sea. "It had to be something important enough for Walker to write it down." He called the stewardess over. "Where can we find Segovia and is it near here?"

Chuck's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Casey turning on the charm with the stewardess. For the longest time he'd thought Casey was like a 'Ken doll' down there but his seduction classes must have come in handy the second time around.

"Segovia is about ten miles from the airport. I can arrange for some transportation if you'd like?" The stewardess said smiling at Casey.

"Yes but we'd prefer to drive ourselves."

"I will phone it in right now? Please buckle up gentlemen."

"Thank you miss!" Casey gave a grunt and smiled. He was surprised that it had actually worked, that he could actually get what he wanted just by playing nice.

Chuck sat back, re-buckled his seatbelt and laughed. If he hadn't seen it with his own two eyes he would never have believed that Casey had gotten a woman to do something for him because of his charm.

Casey and Chuck waited until their truck arrived then they threw their bags in the back and headed to find some additional resources. Casey knew of a former black op soldier who lived in the area. Casey drove to his friends to see if he could get some toys. He stopped in front of a house. Chuck wasn't sure it was a house. Casey turned to Chuck "Stay in the car!"

Chuck had one foot out of the truck "I don't think it applies to places outside the United States."

Casey gave him a look and Chuck quickly put his foot back in.

Fifteen minutes later Casey returned with another gentleman.

Chuck assumed it was the old army buddy he'd told him about.

They tossed some guns and ammo in the back of the truck. The guy walked over to Chuck, gave him a metal case and chuckled. "Enjoy!"

Chuck opened up the case to find a tranq gun and several cases of tranqs.

Casey threw that last bag into the truck and looked up at the road.

"You want to stay on this road about five miles then you'll come to an wooded area. Get out and head east. The mine is located a mile and half from there. You could drive in but I'm guessing that you don't want people to know you're coming."

Casey grunted.

"Also keep an eye out for a woman who's making her name well known around these parts. The locals have given her the name She-male."

Chuck got out of the car and was ready to shout Sarah's name.

Casey shook his head warning Chuck not to acknowledge that they knew of this woman. He said his goodbyes and got into the truck, started it and headed up the road.

"Casey that was Sarah that he was talking about. It had to be?"

"I think you're right but we don't need people knowing that two more Americans are in town. They might put two and two together and if Sarah has been captured it would not be good for any of us."

Chuck sunk into his seat.

Casey knew that he was very worried. Chuck couldn't play his feelings like Sarah and he could. He wasn't made like that but Casey admired him for at least trying to hide his feelings.

**Segovia mine**

Sarah groaned as she tried to move. Her body just wouldn't do what she wanted to it to do. She hadn't been this beat up since training and that had been due to her inexperience not stupidity. She cursed herself for letting her body get crushed. Once again she had Bryce to thank for letting this happen. He'd burned her once again in Columbia. She wasn't sure if getting cheated on was any worse than getting crushed by a million punches in the face – each slap was equally painful.

She tried to get herself into a comfortable sitting position so she could figure out how to get out of this mess. Sarah tried to listen to see if there was anyone near her. She knew that they wouldn't be too far off knowing that this was her second time trying to get out of there. Once she found somewhat of a comfortable spot she found some broken pieces from a mirror that was shattered during the last fight. She grabbed a piece and held it up and over her head. She tried to scan the area before making her next move. She noticed that her leg also got a piece of that mirror she grabbed her shirt and tore a strip off the bottom of her tank top and tied it around her left leg then she pulled out the char of mirror out and cringed at the pain. Her eye had begun to swell which must have been the last thing that got the beating because she couldn't recall getting hit in the face that hard. She resumed looking in the mirror and noticed one man. She hoped it was the guy who had kicked her because she was ready for some butt kicking of her own. She scanned left then right and heard some movement coming form the far cave.

"Well, did you find him?"

"No! He must have got to the river. There was no sign of him on the path out there."

"Great! One agent loose and one agent who is a loose cannon over there."

"The boss won't be happy that Larkin got away, but he might like another agent to take his place. If we keep her, Larkin is bound to show up again. He wouldn't leave that hot thing for too long?"

"Yeah but he left her this time."

"I wouldn't worry, someone will be her saviour soon enough." The men walked over to the stairs. "Hey, want something to drink?"

"Sure, she won't be awake any time soon."

As the men walked passed Sarah – she had been playing this game for a long time and she knew that they would walk by so she just pretended to be out. She had to find a way out; she needed to get back to LA to see Chuck. She still felt the guilt of leaving him when he'd needed her the most but she thought to herself that Casey was there. Yes she'd left Chuck with Casey but no matter how she justified her reasons she'd left him just the same.

Casey stopped the truck at the location that his army buddy had given him. He hid the truck slightly out of view of oncoming traffic.

Chuck got out and looked up at the stars. He could see the big dipper and the little dipper. He also saw Orion's Belt and next to a row of stars that he wasn't familiar with but he knew it was something but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Casey bumped into Chuck to knock him out of his thoughts. "Let's go Chuck!"

They headed east off the road looking for a mine in which they hoped would give them some clues.

Sarah waited for the door to close then she manoeuvred herself up onto a cart. She gained her balance with one bad leg but it wasn't easy. She looked around for something to use as a crutch and found a metal rod that she figured they'd used to open and close smelting ovens. She used it to walk – what she really needed was a weapon. She started to head to the other exit, the one that she had walked through that led to the watering hole. She was almost in the clear when her bummed leg gave way and she fell into a stack of barrels causing them to roll and crash.

The men in the room heard the crash and ran out. They noticed that Sarah was not where they'd left her. The lead man stepped forward and yelled, "Ms. Walker, are you sure that you want to play this game? We both know how it will end so why don't you give yourself up and come out where we can see you? There is no one here to save you. There's no saviour who will take care of you. Larkin left you and no one knows that you're here."

Sarah crouched down behind the barrels. She was trapped but as long as she stayed quiet she could bide her time.

Casey and Chuck entered the main tunnel into the mine. Both harnessed head lamps and were ready with their guns. Casey took the lead.

Chuck held his tranq gun with style. He was getting use to using a tranq gun and after all these years he still remained strong on not shooting anyone with a gun. He couldn't take a life even when Bryce had almost taken his. Casey had asked him while he was in the hospital if he would kill Bryce if he had the chance and Chuck said no.

The three men started to move closer to where Sarah was. She could hear someone coming forward and painfully crawled onto her knees then onto her feet. The wound in her left leg was starting to bleed again. _Oh great she thought, more stitches and who will stitch me up here? _She grabbed her pole and got it ready to club whoever came close to her.

Casey headed to the left of the entrance and Chuck took the right. Casey had 'trigger finger itch' as he hadn't been on a mission since Chuck had got shot and the last person he shot was Tommy so anyone associated with Fulcrum was fair game. Casey continued to head left. He came across the room and ran upstairs to find it empty. When he was heading down he saw the three guys heading to a pile of thrown barrels. _"Chuck, there are three guys coming your way. They must be looking for something_ so keep_ your eyes open."_

_"Roger that Casey." _Chuck took tiny steps up and around the inside of the cave. He looked ahead and got a glimpse of one of the men. He squatted down ready to fire if need be.

Casey came up from the right and aimed his gun with trigger ready.

The two remaining men motioned to each other that they had located Sarah. The taller man came up and grabbed Sarah.

She was ready for anything and smacked him with the pole sending him in Chuck's direction.

Chuck saw the man start to get up. The taller man looked at Chuck and was about to say something when Chuck tranq him before he could make a noise. He stepped over him and headed to where the other man had been thrown. Chuck looked up and saw a guy holding Sarah in a chokehold.

Sarah's face was covered in blood from her eye wound and her breathing was quickly slowing down.

Chuck flashed on a move that he could make and as the flash ended he was up and over the barrels lunging towards the man and Sarah. The man looked up and saw Chuck coming but before he could ward off Chuck he had to let go of Sarah. Chuck saw Sarah and Sarah saw him. Chuck shot another round of tranqs at the gunman. The man fell to the ground and Chuck landed on his feet. He got his bearings and was surprised that it actually worked. He turned around and saw Sarah lying on the ground. He quickly ran to her and pushed her hair away from her face.

Sarah looked up. "C-H-U-C-K?" In a soft voice. "They told me my saviour wouldn't come." She grabbed his jacket and pulled him closer for a kiss.

Chuck returned her kiss. _Like he would miss an opportunity to kiss Sarah Walker. _

When they pulled apart Sarah passed out.

Casey arrived, grabbed Sarah and tossed her over his shoulder.

Chuck wasn't able to carry her but he wished he could. He grabbed one of the men's ID's on the way out.

When they arrived back at Sarah's motel Casey found her key card in her jacket pocket. He placed her on one of the beds.

Chuck grabbed the ice bucket and a towel and started to clean Sarah up. He noticed her leg was bleeding and asked Casey to fetch the emergency kit from the truck.

He returned minutes later and handed it to Chuck. "It doesn't look good."

Chuck was worried as well, but he had to do something. He remembered when he had to remove a bullet from Casey's leg. "Hey Casey, remember when I removed that bullet from your leg? I think that I can sew up Sarah's leg."

"It's worth a try." Casey replied. He fetched some towels and ice for Sarah's swollen eye.

Chuck took Casey's lighter and heated up the needle head and cleaned it with the wet towel. He eyed the needle and threaded it. He gave Sarah a local but he knew it wouldn't take all of the pain away so it was probably just as well that she was passed out. He ripped open her pant leg and ran his hand up her leg. He'd been dreaming of caressing her legs for what felt like forever but he'd never imagined that his first time would be when she was hurting and passed out_. _

Chuck started to stitch up Sarah's leg and was surprised that it went so smoothly. The bleeding stopped and he cleaned the wound with antiseptic then bandaged her leg with a sterile dressing. He looked at her eye. It looked pretty bad but a few butterfly bandages were enough. He gave Sarah a thorough check to make sure she didn't have any other injuries or broken bones. Her arms and legs were good. He went to check her ribs. He moved in closer to Sarah as she laid on the bed then ran his hands under her shirt. He slid his right hand up and around her left side and back again to her right; nothing felt broken but there definitely was bruising. As Chuck put the ice around one of the bruises on her right side Sarah woke up.

She looked at Chuck then looked around the room noticing that it was just the two of them.

Chuck looked at Sarah.

Sarah looked at Chuck. The last time she'd seen him awake was before he'd gotten shot. She sat up and touched his face to make sure he was real.

Chuck placed his hand on hers as she touched his cheek.

Sarah tried to focus on him with her good eye by blinking lots but she knew it was to prevent herself from crying.

Chuck grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Sarah whispered, "Why are you here? How did you find me? Why aren't you in hospital?"

"I wanted to see you because you weren't there when I woke up so…."

Sarah leaned in and they kissed. Chuck carefully brought her close to him. Sarah ran her fingers through his hair and placed them around Chuck's neck. This was their fourth kiss and each kiss was getting better, more intense and full of emotion. Years of pent up frustration and will they won't they situations had taken its toll on both of them. This time Chuck stopped the kiss. He knew that Casey would show up and he didn't feel like explaining the lip lock between the two of them.

"Why did you stop?" Sarah asked wanting more.

"Sorry babe but Casey's here as well."

Sarah looked disappointed because she'd thought that they were alone. She reached out and touched Chuck's face again and thanked him for saving her.

Just then Casey walked in with the provisions. "Hey Walker, glad your awake now you tell us why the heck we're in Columbia saving your _!"

Chuck gave Casey a nasty look. "Sarah, what Casey is wanting to know is ..."

"Don't worry Chuck, he's right but before I say anything I want to know how you got here and why you're here?"

Casey looked at Chuck. "Sorry buddy this was your call."

"Chuck?" Sarah demanded.

"We were coming out of the hospital after I had been discharged and when I turned on my phone I got your distress signal. We headed over to castle and started searching for the signal's location. I broke into your email account and found the Intel that you'd sent yourself. I opened the last email and flashed on all sorts of things as well as the coordinates for your location. While on the plane I flashed on some more Intel and some other things that I need to go back to but to cut a long story short, you were in trouble so I - I mean we came to save you."

"I didn't set my distress signal off unless Bryce did it."

"Bryce was here!" Casey roared.

"He split and left me so whatever happens to him good riddance. The distress button is in my boot. He must have set if off before he left."

Chuck stepped back and walked over to the chair. Bryce hadn't been one of his favourite people before this and now that he'd left Sarah to rot it added to the hate he felt toward the man.

Sarah tried to get up but the pain in her leg stopped her. She looked down and saw that her pant leg was ripped open and her wound was sewn up.

Casey saw her looking at it and sat down across from her on the other bed. "Our boy Chuck did that. He figured if he could take a bullet out of my leg, he could sew you up. Go easy on him Sarah. He was very upset that you weren't there when he woke up. I knew that you were off somewhere but I couldn't tell Chuck while he was recovering."

"Thanks, so is he ok?"

"Not 100% but he wanted to do this. If Ellie knew we didn't go home after she let him out of the hospital she'd kill us both so we need to get back home before 72 hours are up. We have used 18 of them. The doctors said that he'll be fine as long as he doesn't strain himself but looking at the kid he's in pain."

Sarah looked over to the chair by the window where Chuck had fallen asleep. _He looked exhausted. What_ _man would get out of a hospital and come and save a girl? Her saviour had come to rescue her. A saviour known as Chuck Bartowski."_

The next morning the gang headed to the airport. Chuck and Sarah sat together and Casey sat two rows back. Chuck sat nervously while sitting beside Sarah. He continued to rub his

hands on his pants.

Sarah knew that this was his sign of him being nervous so she grabbed his hand and held it in hers.

Chuck 's breathing settled and he calmed down.

Sarah leaned into Chuck and remained there for the entire trip.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews and for those who have been sticking around. This has been a fun ride, but the trip isn't over. Continued thanks goes out to MsRomanceWriter and her assistance on this project. **

**I don't own Chuck so sad that it's not true but oh well! **

**Chapter 6 – Recovery and Spyro and real life**

**Castle**

Casey dropped Chuck off at home so he could rest.

Sarah promised to pop by later in the day.

Casey and Sarah reviewed the Intel that she'd sent to her email account and looked at Chuck's drawings.

Sarah showed Casey the last drawing of the swan and the stars. "What does this mean?"

"Don't know. Chuck was talking about a trip that he and his dad took when he was like nine and he never really told me why he drew these. He took what you sent yourself and this is what he came up with."

Sarah didn't know what to make of it but she knew that Chuck was on to something that would explain why Bryce was trying to bring down the guys at the mine. It was getting late and she'd promised to go see Chuck before it got too late. She turned the last page of her notes and she circled the name FORNAX, turned her light off at her desk and headed up and out of castle.

Chuck had dozed off, he didn't realize that he was that tired but then reality hit and he remembered that he had been shot. There was a knock at the Morgan door and there stood Sarah as promised. She had brought Spyro which made Chuck very happy.

She climbed into the room and put the pizza down then walked over to Chuck. She sat down beside him and saw his bandages. She placed her hand gently on the one in the middle of his chest. She looked at Chuck and quickly diverted her eyes away but Chuck held her hand down with his. She leaned in and laid her head on his stomach looking up at him. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there when you woke up. I had to find Bryce so I could get him to come back and explain why he shot you."

Chuck moved Sarah's hair back around her ear. "Casey told me how you tried to stop the blood and how you didn't want the paramedics to look at me."

"Not one of my finer moments."

"And how you stayed with me till the time you left to look for Bryce."

"Ellie made that possible. Beckman didn't want any of us in there but your sister snuck me in. One time I had to dress up as a nurse just to see you when Casey had to go to castle and they brought in another agent to take his place till he got back. We were only allowed in the hall ... Beckman's orders but I couldn't handle that."

"I bet not!" Chuck laughed but the pain got the best of him and he had to cough.

Sarah got up and gave Chuck a glass of water. He stopped coughing but was in some pain.

Sarah grabbed Chuck's med. "Here take this!"

Chuck shook his head. "No, I want to stay awake for this. I will take one later. Can we eat? I'm starved."

Sarah smiled and walked over to the pizza. They camped out on Chuck's bed.

"We finally get to have our Spyro."

Sarah took a bite of pizza then noticed Chuck had managed to get tomato sauce on his cheek. She tried to motion to him that he had sauce on his cheek but either Chuck didn't get her form of communication or he was oblivious to the fact that he had tomato sauce on his cheek. Sarah got up on her knees and leaned in and with her lips and tongue she licked the sauce off his face then she looked at Chuck's lips and licked hers.

Chuck stopped her.

"I wanna taste!"

He placed his hands on either side of her face and brought her lips to his. Chuck stopped counting how many times they'd kissed. He was just happy that they were kissing. The main thing was that they were together in whatever form or definition you wanted to give to this relationship they were together.

After a few slices of Spyro Sarah laid beside Chuck on the bed. They just laid there together not talking about any missions or despots or smugglers. It was their Spyro time ... long overdue but worth it in the end.

**A Week later ...**

After recovering and resting for a week and somewhat up to Ellie's standards, Chuck was on his feet, but he had a long way to go. It had only been about a month since the shooting when Chuck walked into Castle. He saw Sarah standing facing her computer dressed in a short black skirt and purple blouse; one of his favourite outfits on her. Man does she look good in purple Chuck thought to himself – Sarah was very sexy in purple. He walked up to her but quickly sat down when he saw Casey.

Sarah was a little disappointed that Chuck hadn't made a move but she knew that being in Castle with him was going to be tougher now that they had kissed. She turned around and sat down beside him.

Casey rolled up and sat on the other side of Chuck just as General Beckman popped up on the screen.

"Chuck! What are you doing here?"

Chuck looked around. "Working?"

"Oh no you're not! You're on bed rest till I say you're ready to come back to work."

"But general, I'm going stir crazy! Please let me do something. My sister Ellie, the doctor, said I was ready to come back to work."

"Oh did she?"

"I'll think about your sister's decision but until then you are not going on a mission." She looked at Sarah and Casey. "Your next mission is in regards to a millionaire playboy named Lon Kirk. We have suspicions that he is dealing with some underground laundry extortion."

Chuck interrupted. "Well no wonder when you hang your laundry underground, it's going to get dirty. Has he tried hanging it up outside?"

General Beckman gave Chuck a stern look – she didn't favour his humour but Sarah and Casey tried to hold back their laughs.

"As I was saying before I got interrupted ..."

Chuck looked sheepish.

"We believe that Lon Kirk is going to act on that threat. He is holding a fundraiser tonight on his boat. Agent Walker, Major Casey we need you to go in and get what you can on him."

"What about me?" Chuck piped up.

General Beckman sighed. She knew that Chuck wasn't ready but she didn't want him to whine either. "I'll let you go on the mission as long as you stay in the van with Casey."

"Ok!" He twirled his chair around to look at Sarah.

Sarah was happy that he didn't have to stay in castle and that he would be there with her even if it was only over an earpiece.

**LON KIRK'S BOAT**

Casey and Chuck sat in the van near the pier.

Sarah got into the van wearing a low cut black dress. She had her hair down which added to her elegant but spyish style.

Chuck liked what he saw. It was written all over his face.

Sarah noticed and gave Chuck a wink.

"Ok, Walker here's your earpiece and the bug to put near his computer. Put this one near the ship's controls so we can trace his boat later on."

Sarah put in her earpiece and said goodbye.

Chuck sat watching Sarah head towards the boat.

Casey glanced at Chuck. "You like Walker?"

"What?" Chuck was a little taken back by Casey's question. "Uh no, we're just friends, colleagues."

"Chuck, you can tell me?"

"Ya right and then you would have something on me and you wouldn't let it go. You would make my life a lot less enjoyable."

Casey smile-grunted and got back to work.

Chuck sat back relieved.

Sarah entered the boat and took a tour with the other guests playing her part as a potential investor to the Lon Kirk Relief fund. She entered the engine room and planted the first bug.

Casey acknowledged it.

Sarah walked up to the main deck and strolled up to the bar where Lon Kirk was standing having a drink. She laid on the charm and created another character to play. Her role would hopefully get Lon Kirk to take notice. She twirled her hair in her fingers and nursed a drink. After a while she got Lon Kirk's attention.

Lon brought up a chair beside her. "Hi, I noticed you sitting here by yourself. My name is Lon Kirk and you are?"

"Sarah Walker. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well."

Chuck did not like where this was going.

Casey picked up on it. "Don't worry Chuck, she's just doing her job."

Chuck disliked this part of the job; she didn't have to put on a show. What about us? What about what we have? He started getting ancy sitting in the van. He tried to get comfortable but it didn't help when he heard Lon ask Sarah if she wanted to go upstairs to his sitting room.

Chuck sat on the edge of his chair. He didn't like Sarah being alone especially with Lon Kirk, a millionaire playboy.

Sarah and Lon walked up the stairs as the party unfolded downstairs.

Sarah kept talking to allow Casey to hear what was going on in case he needed to come in and take the boat down. She found a chair near the window (easy access just in case).

Lon poured them some champagne and sat down beside Sarah.

Sarah took a sip from her glass and cuddled a little closer to him.

Lon started to talk about his reasons for holding the fundraiser.

Sarah pretended to find him fascinating as she continued to get him into a situation that she hoped would give them some Intel.

Lon Kirk whistled like a Canary when Sarah leaned in and gave him a kiss.

Chuck wasn't sure what he was hearing. He looked at Casey but Casey was too busy scanning the room and updating the files from Lon's computer. Chuck listened again. He was sure that the sound he was hearing was that of someone kissing. Was Sarah kissing Lon or did Lon have his hands all over her and was kissing her? Chuck started to get very upset. He looked at the surveillance feed to see if they had a camera on the room that Sarah was in. The closest one was in the stairwell and all he could see was a hand caressing a shoulder which belonged to Sarah. As his eyes left the screen, because it hurt to watch Sarah with another man, he got a glimpse of a Chinese guy and flashed on the man's tattoos. "Uh Casey!"

"Did you flash?"

"Yeah and it's not good. That guy on the screen ... he pointed to the man ... he's carrying a weapon and he's also the leader of a Triad gang in downtown LA that the FBI have been tracking for years. He has ties to a laundry route to China – the same China that the funds from tonight's festivities are going to. Casey innocent people are paying a pretty penny to be here and they don't know where the money is going."

"Team one, you have permission to enter the ship and take down suspect one. Team two, you will take down Lon Kirk. Sarah if you can hear me cough.

Sarah coughed.

"Lon is going down. Chuck flashed. I repeat Lon Kirk is going down. Cough if you understand."

Sarah coughed. She wasn't sure why it was happening so soon but when she realized where Lon's hands had been she knew that it had to involve Chuck.

**Back at Castle**

Sarah threw down her earpiece and took her shoes off. She didn't like missions that ended too quickly for no reason.

General Beckman came on the screen.

Sarah turned to her. "Why are we back so soon?"

"We arrested Lon Kirk and several associates," Beckman replied.

"On what charge?"

"The charge of money laundry and extortion as requested from you."

"We needed proof. Who made the call?"

"Chuck did General." Casey piped up.

"Where is Chuck?"

"We took him home."

"I knew that I shouldn't have let him go on this mission. His head wasn't in the game."

"But General Chuck hasn't steered us wrong before so why would he now?"

"Casey, Walker, you just better pray that you find something on those files or on that boat because if we arrested these men for the wrong reasons or the wrong flash we'll all be in a bunker. You two are dismissed."

Sarah looked at Casey. "You better be right about this one." She left castle and headed home.

**Chuck's apartment**

Chuck sat on the couch replaying the night's events. He wasn't very happy with how things had ended with Sarah. She hadn't been too pleased to leave a mission so quickly and from the look she'd given him he knew he'd blew it. He stood by his flashes although some of them were off the wall, they were not his, they were pre-programmed already. He couldn't control what came out of a flash just like Casey couldn't control his trigger finger. He smiled a little. The flashes were connected to various files that needed a phrase, word or emotions to convert them into the flashes that he flashed on. If he flashed on anything there was a reason why. He did what he was supposed to do so why had Sarah taken offence to him flashing unless she wanted something to happen with Lon and the flash had interrupted that moment. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Chuck opened it.

Sarah stormed into the house. "Is Ellie or Awesome home?"

"No, they're at work and hello to you too."

Sarah walked into the living room and turned towards Chuck as he closed the door behind her.

"What the hell happened today?"

"I – I don't know – I don't get it…I had a flash."

"Right when I went upstairs with Kirk. It's pretty convenient timing, wouldn't you say?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just when you thought that I was getting intimate with Kirk you decided to have a flash!"

"What exactly are you implying? That I faked the flash? That I'm a flash faker?"

"I think we need to discuss the fact that you let your emotions get in the way today!"

"My emotions!" Chuck replied taking a defensive stance.

"Things have been a little off since the incident Chuck!"

"Really and what incident are you referring to Agent Walker huh? Could it be the incident where you planted a kiss on me right before a bomb was supposed to go off ending our lives? That same kiss right before your boyfriend Bryce came back from the dead. That kiss and several others thereafter. That kiss!"

"Stop saying kiss – it happened – what's done is done. Can we just not talk about it please!"

"Ok fine. Absolutely. But just answer me one more thing. Did you kiss me that night because you thought we were going to die and mine were the most convenient lips around or was it actually about me?"

"What happened was a mistake, one that I will not make again!" Sarah turned on her heel and stormed out of the apartment.

Chuck closed his eyes and sighed. "What just happened."

**Not a moment to soon**

Days passed and Chuck purposely avoided Sarah as much as she avoided him. Even though Sarah knew she needed him and Chuck needed her especially after they had both blindsided by Bryce's attempt to kill him, her past feelings judged her present ones and to this day she regretted trusting Bryce. She blamed herself for Chuck getting shot. She blamed herself for allowing Chuck to feel the way he felt and she blamed herself for the fact that she was about to let a perfectly good man walk out of her life if she didn't smarten up. She didn't like how she'd left things with Chuck after their last mission especially when more Intel and further investigation had proven that Lon Kirk was indeed using the funds from the party to fund his operation. With further investigation and assistance from Interpol all future trafficking of funds were stopped. She had to make it right with Chuck, job or no job she had to fix it but she didn't know how.

Chuck was not on the receiving end of any line of communication via Sarah. He preferred to have Casey act as the go between when it came to anything Chuck and Sarah.

After Chuck got shot Casey quickly came to the conclusion that there was more between Chuck and Sarah than what they were letting on. He remembered that Sarah had camped out at the hospital and sat in a vigil at Chuck's bedside. She wanted to be the first thing Chuck saw when he woke up but once they'd arrived back at Castle her attempts at reconciling with Chuck and her staying at his bedside was noted but Sarah had a long way to go.

Every day Castle was becoming a very crowded place. Chuck was allowed to resume light duty till he was able to rejoin the team full time which made it harder for him to get away from anything Sarah. He recalled that he'd walked out of the hospital and flew with Casey to Columbia to rescue Sarah which didn't go as planned but for Chuck, his dream had helped him rescue Sarah. He knew that he had to rely on his gut feelings in order for Sarah to be ok. She needed to be ok. Chuck needed her to be ok but despite all the will they won't they she was always on his mind. Her personal belongings sat on her side of their workbench. Her face constantly flashed in and out of his thoughts. Her scent melted his heart and turned his legs into jelly. Sarah's hold on his heart was taking up too much space within the walls of Castle. He needed out. He needed space but who was he kidding? As long as he had the intersect and Bryce was still out there his life was in danger. What was worse? Fearing another attack from Bryce or dealing with his feelings for Sarah? At least if he got shot again he would heal. If he was shot dead he wouldn't have to deal with feeling about anything ever again. With Sarah it was a constant revolving door of unresolved feelings spinning out of control.

Chuck was ready to put his feelings aside and move on. He was spending more time with Morgan and his best friend couldn't be happier. Chuck made his appearances only when the mission needed him. He tried to find some form of happiness and not to be miserable without Sarah.

Chuck grabbed a cup to get some coffee. He was trying to get his work done which included his job to view the video feeds from the missions that they'd been on. He hadn't had the time to review all the feeds in the van so he tried to use the free time he had now to get caught up. He thought that he was alone in Castle until Sarah happened to walk by. He was getting used to not seeing her. He had to say something but what he needed to say would only make him angrier and more upset than he already was with her. Chuck poured his coffee and walked out choosing not to say anything.

Sarah too was having a hard time but she knew she had to say something. She had a job to do and so did Chuck. "I need you to sign some papers and go over some Intel from Columbia with me."

"Can't Sarah, I need to finish viewing some feeds. It seems that I'm the only one who for some reason can see around here so I need to watch a huge pile of discs and recorded feeds so you're on your own with the other stuff."

"But the stuff from Columbia can help us find out why Bryce shot you."

"Is that all? There's got to be something more."

"I mean you're the agent so I assume that you're very capable of finding the Intel you need from what I find and the Intel I flash on. You don't need any more help from me."

Sarah didn't like where this was going. "Chuck what has gotten into you?"

Chuck looked up at her defeated once again. "You don't get it and you never will. I am tired of this." He held out his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"I have been playing this game, this role of boyfriend, asset, intersect and I would say the role of boyfriend is used lightly here. I'm done acting. I'm tired of the back and forth emotions and feelings that go along with this role, this job. I'm tired of how you act towards me."

"Chuck, what's going on?"

"I am sick and tired of you using me. I'm tired of you playing with my feelings and emotions. I'm tired of just being a job to you, just another asset, someone you use for that moment then when the moment is gone your onto you next mission or role. I know that this is an assignment to you Sarah but to me, this is my life. This is real. What we have or had or whatever you want to call it feels real to me. What we had under the undercover thing was real but the more I think about it I realize that we can never have anything real because you don't want it to be real. I will always be a job to you and nothing more."

Sarah was taken aback by the force of Chuck's emotions and his words and hated that she was responsible for making him feel this way. "You don't get it. You shouldn't feel this way."

"What way Sarah? Human!"

Sarah was visibly upset. Her eyes started to fill up but she couldn't let Chuck see her cry.

"So after what we've shared and what I've seen I am guessing that I wasn't good enough for you. It proves that I am just a job to you because if I wasn't you wouldn't keep doing this to me or us. I guess you're pretty good at role playing because you had this person fooled." Chuck headed to the door. "You need work on your approach a little better. You wouldn't want some nerd to get too attached to you! We wouldn't want to make that mistake again, would we Agent Walker?"

Sarah strode over to Chuck and slapped him across the face. "You don't get it and it was more real than you will ever know." She runs out of the room.

Chuck cradled his now tender cheek in his hand.

Casey sees Sarah coming out and doesn't like the look on her face. He walked in and sees Chuck.

"What did you do now Chuck?"

Chuck looked up at Casey, "You won't understand."

"What don't I understand? The fact that you have feelings for Sarah and that the two of you are replaying this painful will they won't they scene back and forth for what seems like forever? I get it and you will get too. Come with me." Casey dragged Chuck out of the room to where the video feed tapes were sitting. He quickly looked for the feed from the night of the Fitzroy's party.

"Casey I'm done looking at these feeds and any other ones that pertain to Agent Walker."

"I'm tired of watching you two bounce back and forth with your feelings so you're going to watch this and then I'm going to tell it to you straight."

Casey sat Chuck down and forwarded to the dance between Bryce and Sarah. Chuck did not want to see this again. Casey stopped it right after the dance ended and Bryce takes Sarah off to the side. Chuck relived the kiss and sees himself on the screen and he also hears what Sarah had said to Bryce which he realized now must have happened after he left the room so he didn't hear what she'd said to Bryce. He heard Sarah telling Bryce that they had been over for a long time and then she'd stormed off to the van. It was Bryce that had played her. He knew how to press her buttons. He felt bad for talking to Sarah the way he'd done earlier but what he'd said to her was still the truth. He felt like a mission, like another player to be played upon.

Casey shut the feed off. "I wanted to tell you this Bartowski. Whatever you two have is not what you consider normal. It's highly possible that an agent like Walker could have feelings for a nerd. I mean Sarah can't have a relationship with you – there is a line that we can't cross - but she's already six miles ahead. By crossing that line she is breaking her own rules and those of the Government so I wanted you to know that." Casey could tell that Chuck was feeling hurt, that any hope he'd had was now crushed by what he'd told him.

Chuck looked up at Casey. "She's worth the breaking the rules."

Casey placed his hand on Chuck's shoulder, gave it a squeeze then left.

Chuck needed to get out but he had to stay in Castle and finish his work. Even if he did go home he didn't want to explain to Ellie why he looked like he'd lost his best friend. In kind of a weird ironic way he had. He needed to hide, just to be himself and not have cameras on him. He knew where to go and walked to his spot that he was still surprised no one knew about. He slid the panel back and walked in. He liked the silence even though his mind was constantly on and ready to fire on cue. This room allowed him to feel normal without someone or something watching him. He'd forgotten what it was like to be normal or to have a normal life. He'd thought that he could have that with Sarah. Maybe he could still have a normal life with the girl that he could love. He didn't know if what he felt for Sarah was love but he knew that what they had was real. The way she looked at him and the way they kissed. That was real. He wondered if he'd been too hard on Sarah.

Chuck sat down on the floor and must have dozed off. He was awakened by the sound of someone talking in a soft pleading voice. He immediately recognized Sarah's voice. He assumed that Sarah thought she was alone so he sat back and listened.

Sarah sat on the other side of the wall unknowingly spilling her heart out. She was not one to express her feelings and especially in private. _Chuck __if __you __only __knew __how __I __felt __about __you. __Your __words __hurt __me. __How __could __you __think __that __I __was __playing __you, __that __you __were just __a __job?__No __job __could __make __someone __feel __that __way. __It __must __be __real. __It __was __nothing __a __book __could __tell __you __and __no __training __could __ever __prepare __you __for __this __or __even __prevent __it __from __happening. __Agents __are __not __supposed __to __have __feelings __for __the __people __they __work __with __because __it __jeopardizes __not __only __the __person __but __themselves __because __my __feelings __can __hurt __you __more __than __if __I __didn__'__t __have __any. __I __need__ to __keep __you __safe __but __I __also __know __that __I __can __hurt __you __by __my __actions __and __how __the __missions __go __and __are __seen __through __your __eyes. __Bryce __knows __how __to __push __my __buttons __and __yes __I __kissed __him. __I __got __caught __up __in __the __moment, __but __Chuck __he __wasn't __you. __And __with __Lon__ – __it__'__s __part __of __the __job __and __sometimes __Chuck __you__'__re __not __going __to __like __what __we __have __to __do __when __we __are __on __a __mission. __Sometimes __I __don__'__t __like __what __I __have __to __do __on __a __mission __either __but __I __thought __that __once __we __had __kissed __it __would __change __the __way __missions __went __and __how __I __did __them, __but __that __is __part __of a __job. __You __were __never __part __of __that. __I __am __so __sorry __that __you __got __hurt __by __Bryce, __but __we __can __overcome __that. __I __am __also __sorry __that __I__ can__'__t __completely __give __myself __to __you, __that __I __can__'__t __compromise __my __cover. __You __asked __about __the __truth __beneath __our __cover __but __I __guess __you__'__ll __never __know__. _Sarah got up from and walked out of the locker room.

Chuck closed his eyes knowing that he had just heard Sarah spill her heart out. _Should __I __go __and __talk __to __her? __Should __I __say __something?__And __if __I __did, __what __would __I __say __to __her? __If __I __tell __her __that __I __overheard __her __she__'__ll __shut __down __again __and __that's __the __last __thing __I __want __to __happen._He knew that Sarah was breaking her own rules, that she had chosen to cross the line that she'd swore not to cross.

Later that night ... Chuck finished typing his last few sentences on his recall of the night he got shot. He'd finally got the time to finish it after all that had gone on in and out of castle. He felt emotionally and physically drained. He rubbed his left side; he could feel the bullet still in there but was assured that the bullet had been removed. It was short of a miracle that it wasn't any higher due to the angle that Bryce shot him the bullet ricocheted off his chest bone and exited out his left side braising his lungs. Sarah had walked out of the elevator and glanced downstairs and was taken aback when she saw Chuck sitting there alone. She noticed him rubbing his side and the guilt filled her throat making it hard to breathe. She recalled her time in the locker room where she'd confessed her feelings and was so glad that he would never know how she really felt. There was no denying that she was drawn to Chuck and no matter how much she fought against it she kept coming back to him. It was almost like kryptonite, a drug that she couldn't get enough of. She knew that she was being watched but she was tired of fighting this battle between what she should do and what she wanted to do. Was she just a girl who was the job or was the job becoming more than she had ever anticipated or dreamed of? She walked up to Chuck and placed her hand on his shoulder. Chuck didn't remove it. He welcomed Sarah's touch. It was the first form of contact between them since their last mission in Columbia. Sarah placed her other hand on his shoulder. Chuck raised his hands and brought Sarah's arms around his chin and laid them crossed on his chest. Maybe because he was tired and emotionally drain, he needed to be in the moment. They both knew that this was a very big step from where they'd been six weeks ago when Bryce was still lingering around and before he got shot. As quickly as the moment started it ended. When Sarah felt Chuck's hands pulling her closer to him her walls came up and she begged for some interruption. She wanted to fix what was broken between them so why was she pushing away? _I__'__m __not __ready __for __this __Chuck __so __why __do __you __always __have __to __go __that __extra __step __to __make __me __feel __welcomed __and __cared __for? __Knowing __how __much __I __hurt __you, __but __yet __you __still __do __something __like __this. __I __would __love __to __let __you __take __over __and __do __what __you __want __with __me __but __I __can__'__t __so __I __am __going __to __pull __away._A chirp on the screen sounded. Chuck sat up. Sarah removed her hands from his chest. Casey walked in as General Beckman appeared on the screen. "Evening team."

"Evening General," they all replied.

Chuck stood up.

"I am glad to see you're on the mend Chuck. You are ready for a new mission ... this time an approved mission?"

"I'm ready General."

We have received Intel that a new cell is being set up by Fulcrum based in the under mines of Sewell in Chile. We have noticed from satellite images that there has been a lot of movement coming from that part of the world, a lot of traffic for a once deemed ghost town that doesn't have any roads. Fulcrum cells have been taking up residence in many uninhabited mines throughout the world. Your mission is to head out and capture the Fulcrum agents and shut down the mine. Fulcrum has taken it upon themselves to recoup the loses that previous presidents Carlos Ibanez Del Campo and Salvador Allende failed to compensate from other countries who boycotted their export of copper which resulted in."

As Beckman continued Chuck flashed on the names. "General, these presidents were responsible for the 1973 coup d' etat."

"That's correct Chuck."

"The Chilean del cobre or Chileanisation of copper was the progressive process by which the Chilean government acquired control of the major foreign owned section of the Chilean copper mining industry. It involves the three main mines known as the…." Chuck flashed again " La Gran Mineria".

Sarah reached for Chuck's hand. He hadn't flashed that much in a long time and she helped him into a chair.

"Sorry guys, too much data in one shot."

"General, so you're telling me that Fulcrum is setting up bases in abandoned mines to control the world's copper mines – which would mean that they could gain control of other natural resources along with what they are doing now?" _Bryce __was __on __the __right __track __Sarah __thought __to __herself._

"That's correct Agent Walker."

"That is why you three need to get there as soon as you can. If Fulcrum gets anymore ahead we will never be able to gain the upper hand."

"General?"

"Yes Major Casey?"

"As I recall Sewell has no roads. Where will we be dropped off?"

"I am sending you by air to Machali which is south of Sewell on the west coast of Chile. You will stay in a safe house till evening then set out by foot reaching Sewell by early morning. Once you arrive you'll set up surveillance and observe. When you think that the place is safe Chuck and Sarah, you two will head into Sewell and find their main location while Major Casey you'll head to the mountains and set up your connections and whatever you think is required to blow up this place and all its contents. Once Chuck and Sarah have located their base they will contact you and set the timers. Once they are safe and you have a visual, you have permission to press the button. Be safe team."

Team Bartowski disconnected their line of communication with General Beckman and headed to gather their equipment. Any further Intel would be sent to them via air.

Casey packed his bag and reminded Sarah and Chuck to bring what they needed and 'extras' if they had room. Casey loved to have extras' extra ammo, Sarah extra knives and Chuck extra tranquilizers. Casey also reminded Chuck that he was no longer an asset but he had to be ready for anything. Fulcrum were still looking for Chuck and Bryce was still rogue.

Chuck was filling magazines for Sarah and Casey while getting enough ammo for himself.

Sarah walked over trying to be civil. This was their first mission in weeks as a team of three. Her avoidance was coming to an end as she had to face seeing Chuck every day till this mission was complete but she had to try not to risk slipping on her feelings again. The memories of their first kiss and the feelings of that kiss were still planted on her heart and on her lips as well as all the other intense moments. Oh how she wanted to kiss him again as she watched Chuck packed his bag.

Chuck saw Sarah watching him but he had to stay calm. He didn't want to go on a mission where his feelings would get in the way but he needed to keep busy. He didn't want to be alone with Sarah for any length of time, if he could help it.

Casey would be there on the mission but he couldn't care less if Chuck and Sarah did the deed or not as long as it didn't interfere with their mission.

Sarah rarely let down her barriers because she didn't want to get hurt so she carefully guarded her words as she spoke to Chuck. "You ready?"

Chuck looked up. "Yeah I think so. You?"

"Yes I think so."

Chuck handed her a stack of magazines for her backpack.

Sarah smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

Casey walked in and threw his equipment on the table. "Ready to roll?"

The team nodded.

They boarded an Air Force cargo plane that was heading to Africa and was the closest form of transportation that would be able to drop them off mid-air so they could parachute onto the shores of Machali.

Chuck harnessed his gear as Casey helped tighten his straps. "Bartowski go over and help Walker while I check on the ETA of our drop off."

Chuck gave him a 'oh thanks look' then he stumbled over to where Sarah was trying to get herself into her harness.

The plane jerked and she fell in to Chuck's arms. When she regained her stance, her lips where inches away from his. His strong arms were holding onto her with a loving supportive feel, they both looked at each other faces and then their lips. It was the same feeling and closeness as it was when they were in the warehouse waiting for the bomb to go off. They both knew where this could lead too.

Chuck could feel Sarah breath on his face.

Sarah lightly licked her lips waiting for Chuck to make the first move which she thought was only fair seeing as she had made the first move in the warehouse.

Chuck pulled Sarah forward and leaned in. He could feel the warmth of her lips beckoning for a collision with his. An invitation that would involve a long awaited and long overdue kiss.

Sarah looked up and gave Chuck a nod that assured him that it was ok.

Chuck leaned in with all the courage he was packing and he painstakingly moved his lips towards Sarah's. He tilted his head slightly to gain better access moving his hands as he cupped her face. He sighed and licked his lips as he leaned in.

Sarah waited eagerly anticipating his touch.

Chuck was startled by an alarm going off indicating that they needed to head to the doors as they were gearing to exit the plane. He stepped back to regain his composure as did Sarah.

"Chuck, did you tighten Sarah's straps?" Casey yelled from the other side of the plane.

"No, one second." He walked up to Sarah and tugged on her strap.

She nodded indicating that they were tight enough then she grabbed her bag and walked passed Chuck.

He grabbed her arm.

Sarah looked up surprised.

"This isn't over."

Sarah didn't know what to say. She waited till Chuck released her arm and looked back towards Casey. "We better go Chuck."

He stood there looking defeated again.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to all who have read and left comments, they are greatly appreciated.

CONTINUED Thanks goes out to MRW for her assistance on this story.

I don't own CHuck still choked about that..

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Chapter 7 – The mission to end all missions

The three jumped from the plane into the sky of darkness and landed on the shores of Machali. They laid low till they knew it was safe to move inland. They didn't want to move forward in case they were spotted in the air. They reached the safe house which to their surprise had not been found by Fulcrum agents – at least the CIA can keep some things secret. The team discussed their next steps well into the morning; they were all forcing their eyelids to stay open.

"Hey Walker, you and Chuck go and have a rest. I'll take the first watch."

"Casey, why don't we all rest? This is a safe house after all, it's full of booby traps and surveillance so if anyone comes within fifty feet we would know about it."

Sarah smiled. "Chuck's right. We're not going anywhere till later tonight so let's get some shut eye while we have the chance."

Chuck found a corner cot while Sarah took the bed and Casey found a chair with his backpack as a foot stool.

The team was awakened by the aroma of coffee. Chuck had been up for a while and was surprised that this safe house had some items like coffee and bottled water. He lit the propane stove and boiled some hot water for the coffee even if it was instant. After the worst sleep ever coffee would make up for it and by the looks of the rest of the team they needed a little caffeine boost. He reached into his bag and grabbed some instant cereal, granola and protein bars. He always brought more than he needed just like his stakeouts when he brought a music mix and ate Chinese food.

"What no music?" Sarah piped up.

"Just wait me lady." He reached into a small pocket in his backpack and pulled out his iPod Touch.

Casey just grunted but as he grunted a slight smile crossed his lips.

"Is that a smile Casey?"

Casey grunted some more and reached for a protein bar and a packet of instant cereal. It wasn't pancakes but it would do for now. He poured himself some coffee and headed over to his chair in the corner.

Chuck put his iPod Touch on and the song "Feeling good" happened to be playing. He had tried to introduce music to Sarah and this was the first song that he'd ever played her.

Sarah was starting to like the song but wouldn't admit it to Chuck quite yet.

After breakfast and two cups of coffee later they headed to their next location. They said their goodbyes. Casey ran north to the hills and Chuck and Sarah snuck in and out of abandoned buildings looking for the Fulcrum base. It was getting darker but they were thankful for the moonlight. As they walked, Chuck and Sarah tried equally to keep their conversation going but failed miserably. They were both poor communicators and they knew it.

Chuck looked up at the moon and taking a chance he spoke up when they took a breather. "Sarah did you know that when a full moon is out and you place your thumb directly in front of the moon it's no bigger than it? No matter where you are in the world the moon is no bigger than your thumb." He curled his lips and sighed waiting for a sound or response from Sarah.

"I like that one Chuck," she finally said.

It wasn't much but at least it was more than two words Chuck thought to himself.

Sarah gave him some water and checked her compass. "I think we should head over to check out those buildings. If we don't find anything soon then we'll go back to the safe house."

Chuck tightened the lid on the bottle and tucked it back into Sarah's backpack. "Ok, whatever you think is best."

Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand and headed further into the ghost town.

They'd been walking for around fifteen minutes when Chuck stopped and flashed on a sign that was barely hanging on the side of one of the buildings.

"What is it Chuck?"

"I'm not sure."

"Talk to me Chuck. What did you flash on?"

"Chaiten Chile, Nevado del Ruiz Armero Columbia, a few dates, news headlines of devastating earthquakes and volcanoes eruptions and …"

"And what?"

"Sandstorm."

"Sandstorm?" Sarah repeated.

"That's the mission Bryce was working on, wasn't it Sarah?" Chuck sunk to his feet, the words Sandstorm, the shooting, the hospital and images of Sarah sitting by his bed with Ellie, Devon and Morgan.

Sarah crouched down. "It's going to be okay. That must mean we're getting closer. It makes sense that they would use an abandoned mine to set up what Bryce was talking about. I'm going to let Casey know." She called Casey then put away her phone. "Chuck, Casey is going to contact General Beckman to see what she wants to do so we wait until we hear back from him."

Chuck took his backpack off and sat against the wall with his knees up against his chest. "Shouldn't we head back to the safe house?"

"We could but if Beckman says to change tactics we don't want to be further away, right?"

"Yeah," Chuck agreed.

Sarah could tell that Chuck was not okay with the last flash. His best friend shooting him was harder to get over than she'd realized. She leaned back against the adjacent wall facing Chuck and as they watched the moon just hang in the sky it reminded Sarah of the time when Chuck had received his degree from Stanford and he'd made a wish. "Remember when you got your degree and I asked you to make a wish?

"Yeah."

"Has your wish come true yet?"

Chuck looked up at the moon and the stars then back at Sarah. "No not yet."

"Really? I guess granting your wish is taking its sweet time."

"I guess so." _His __wish __had __been __for __him __and __Sarah __to __be __together_ _but __it __looked __like __that __wasn't __going __to __happen __any__time __soon._

Chuck and Sarah heard a noise that made them get up. They noticed some movement near the train tracks so they grabbed their stuff and headed to check it out.

Sarah called to Casey via her watch and asked him if he could see any movement near the train.

"Negative team…hang on one sec. I see some movement possibly three men near the west side of the train unloading a box car…"

"Roger that."

Sarah and Chuck walked over to get a better look and found three men standing near the old box car. They looked like soldiers but as it was dark they couldn't really be sure as it was hard to really see their faces.

One man spoke up and asked the man on his right for a cigarette.

Chuck flashed on his voice and saw that the man was a retired CIA agent called Franko Kovac. "Sarah," he whispered. "He's retired CIA."

"Ok, good job Chuck." Sarah moved in and motioned for him to get his gun ready. She crawled under the train.

Chuck walked up to the men on his left and tranq'd the first guy.

Sarah knocked out the two other men then she grabbed her gun and shot two tranqs into each of them.

"I could have used a real gun right?" Chuck chuckled.

They headed into the shaft then to the room that had its lights on. Sarah picked the lock on the door and crouched down in the office.

Chuck headed over to the computer and downloaded the files that he was able to retrieve. "These guys are the worst at safeguarding their files. If Chuck Bartowski was their tech guy they would have the latest security walls and every other firewalls he could think of…" He grabbed his USB drive and tucked it away in his vest.

Sarah heard someone coming and motioned to Chuck that they needed to get out of there and hide. They narrowly missed getting caught.

Chuck quickly removed the timers from his backpack.

Casey chimed in and informed them of their next move. "The General wants any Intel you can find then your orders are to blow the place up."

"Casey we've got the Intel on a USB drive and Chuck is setting the timers. We will head east and meet you at the safe house. Give us ten minutes."

Chuck gave Sarah the go ahead and they ran to the nearest exit. They were just about to head to the clearing when one of the timers detonated early sending metal and wood flying.

Casey could see the blast from the mountain. "Walker, Bartowski can you read me!"

The blast was so loud that they didn't hear Casey's attempt to contact them. Chuck and Sarah got up and ran out the door.

Casey saw them reaching the clearing through his telescope and pushed the button which simultaneously set off the other timers sending the remaining building to the sky.

The blast caused Sarah and Chuck to lose their sense of direction and focus – they fell as the earth swallowed them whole.

Casey watched as the ground swallowed up Chuck and Sarah. He didn't know what had happened. He radioed for help then ran down to where he'd last seen his team.

When the dust settled Chuck tried to gain his bearings. He looked around for Sarah and saw her lying on her stomach. He ran to her and rolled her over. He checked to see if she was breathing and saw that she was but she was out cold. He took his backpack off and found his flares. He cracked one and then a few more to give the area some more light then he shone one up towards the entrance but it was blocked with debris. He grabbed Sarah and pulled her forward and carefully took her pack off and leaned her against it. He pulled out a blanket and covered her up. Like Casey said Chuck always came prepared, he was a regular boy scout till the end. He tried to make contact with Casey but all he got was static which wasn't the end of the world. Static was good. It was when the static turned to silence that you needed to worry. He got up and shuddered at the pain in his left side. He touched his side; it was moist. He took his vest and shirt off and saw that his incision had been pierced. He must have landed on something and reopened the wound. He grabbed his medical kit and quickly bandaged it up. His sister would not be happy with how he'd taken care of it but whatever worked at this moment would have to do. He pulled his shirt down over his bandages and sat near Sarah keeping her company as he waited.

It was about three hours or so when Sarah woke up to her surroundings. She scanned the area and saw Chuck leaned against the wall next to her. She turned over not knowing that Chuck was ok and straddled his legs. "Chuck wake up. Are you ok?"

Chuck was awakened by Sarah yelling at him and sitting on his lap. When she leaned in to give him a huge hug he cringed.

"What's wrong?" Sarah could feel the moistness of Chuck's shirt and quickly lifted it. She saw that he'd injured himself and his first aid skills weren't the best but they'd stopped the bleeding for now. She realized that her position on Chuck's lap wasn't the best place to be so she got up and went to grab the first aid kit to fix Chuck's wound properly.

"So how long was I out?"

"Couple of hours or so."

"Is there a way out?"

Sarah raised Chuck's shirt then removed it completely. She was amazed at what she was looking at again when she saw his broad shoulders, defined chest and the light hairs that grazed down his chest and followed down to his waist. She quickly diverted her eyes as Chuck picked up on her faint but lengthy stare of his body. She gave Chuck a flare and told him to hold it close so she could see what she was doing.

"You did a good job of bandaging the wound but I might need to re-stitch it." When Sarah saw the look of pain when anything sharp touched his skin she quickly changed her mind. "If this doesn't close up in a few hours then I'll have no choice but to stitch it, Ok?"

Chuck nodded.

Sarah applied some ointment and several butterfly bandages and a few pieces of gauze to the wound. "There you go for now."

Chuck quickly grabbed his shirt and put it on much to Sarah's dismay. He got up and grabbed his flare then walked around looking for a way out. There were two tunnels. They walked down the first one but it was blocked so they walked back and headed down the other tunnel but it was blocked too. There was a slight breeze coming through the one they fell through which could be a way out. They looked up to see if they could shimmy up the wall but it was too narrow.

Sarah sat down next to Chuck. "Thanks for taking care of me when I was out. You brought a blanket?"

We all have blankets. Didn't you know that you can get a full size blanket into a pouch that's no bigger than my arm? I ordered some for Castle because you never know when you might need a blanket."

Sarah had to laugh. He constantly amazed her. _She __remembered __the __last __time __a __blanket __came __in __handy._

"Why are you laughing?"

"I'm not. Well I am but it's because you're always so prepared even when you don't need to be. Casey nor I would never think of bringing a blanket with us. You always have the least expected things with you that makes the unbearable bearable."

"So this moment is bearable?"

Sarah leaned on her backpack and grabbed her blanket. "For now it is Chuck." She laid back and prepared herself for a long sleepless night.

Chuck grabbed his blanket and covered up as well as the temperature was getting on the cold side. The night beckoned on as Chuck and Sarah laid there in silence. Chuck awoke and checked his watch it had been 45 minutes since he last checked his watch. He heard Sarah's teeth chattering which indicated that she was cold. Chuck leaned over, took his blanket and covered her up then leaned in to keep her warm. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Sarah turned over to see that Chuck had given up his blanket but was close enough to share the warmth. She moved and rested her head on Chuck's chest and wrapped each of them with the two blankets.

Instinctively Chuck wrapped his arms around Sarah's body and they slept until morning when Chuck's watch sounded. He opened his eyes but did not want to move when he saw what he had in his arms. Chuck was surprised that Sarah did not stop it from happening. He couldn't figure her out. She was like a light switch and now he definitely didn't know what was going on. He turned to the almost kiss on the plane and how if Casey didn't ruin it he would have kissed her. He remembered the kiss in the warehouse and how it was Sarah who had kissed him. Then there was all the other kisses. Then to further play with his mind he had to deal with the image of Bryce kissing Sarah, Sarah and Lon and when he got shot. _Remember __Chuck __these __were __missions __and __not __her __real __feelings._This game was like tic tac toe or better yet a game of chess. One person makes a move and the other counteracts and the game goes back and forth. Their relationship was very well scripted so why not have a game or two to mix it up? But in this shaft there was no stage, no lines, no protocol and no directors. It was just the two of them. Two people who couldn't stand to be in the same room with each other but would do whatever it took to be in that room with the other person. Chuck noticed a few strands of hair fall on Sarah's face. He brushed them back over her ear which made Sarah reach for his hand.

Sarah entwined her fingers with Chuck's and held them close to her body. She played with his fingers and caressed his hands the she turned over and laid with her back to Chuck's chest. She kept her eyes closed as she held his hand.

Chuck allowed Sarah to take the next step. He didn't want to mess this up whatever this was turning into. He wanted to play on her court and on her time. The ball was in her court now and he just needed to be ready for anything.

Sarah opened her eyes, took Chuck's hand and kissed it.

_A kiss ... she kissed my hand! Now what? Take it easy buddy, it was just a kiss on your hand. Relax! _

Sarah continued to entwine her fingers through Chuck's then she leaned over to caress his chest and sat up in one motion.

Chuck sat up straighter when Sarah straddled his legs. He looked into her eyes realizing that this was another big step for her.

Sarah ran her fingers lightly over Chuck's face, his lips and eyes then she ran her hands through his hair and around his neck. She'd found out while they were 'fake dating' that he had a certain spot on his neck that was particularly sensitive to her touch.

Chuck was enjoying where this was heading but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

Sarah looked into Chuck's deep brown eyes and knew that this was the moment that she could easily have feelings for Chuck. She moved closer to his face.

Chuck placed his hands on Sarah's face.

_I think that we've been here before they both chimed under their breath._

Chuck brought Sarah's face to his. He tilted his face and slowly leaned in lightly brushing her lips.

Sarah barely registered the fact that Chuck had touched her lips and needed a redo. She returned his kiss with all the passion that she felt for him. She ached for his lips.

Chuck ached for her lips and held her tight as he kissed her over and over again.

Sarah didn't back down. She allowed him access and the feelings of his tongue on hers shot warmth through her body right down to her toes.

They kissed for what seemed like forever, a new record but when they headed for air Sarah pulled back and covered her lips with her hand.

Chuck knew that she was backing off and tried to hold on to her.

"Chuck let me go, please…"

Chuck continued to hold onto her.

"Chuck PLEASE!" Sarah broke loose, sprung up and walked away.

Chuck got up. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong? Sarah talk to me."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. You do everything right!"

"Then what's the problem? Why did you stop?"

Sarah looked at Chuck "You don't get it."

"Get what? What am I missing here?"

"It's not going to work!"

"What's not going to work?" Chuck walked over to Sarah but she darted in the other direction. "Chuck! Just please back off!"

"Sarah, we need to talk about this. There's nowhere you can run and I'm tired of playing this game. Whatever this game is, whatever this role is between us, I'm done. I am tired of saying the right thing or even doing the right thing." He moved closer to her.

Sarah moved back to other side.

"You can walk back and forth all you want but you're going to listen to me and your going to listen good," Chuck said.

This was not first time that Sarah had heard Chuck raise his voice at her and she knew that he was at his breaking point but she was too.

"Sarah, there is no script to follow now and no lines to recite. It's just you and me. This place is actually very fitting because there's no way out. You can't run and there's no audience ... no CIA ... it's just you and me. For a long time our relationship was just that ... a set plan arranged by the CIA to protect me and my family. We chose to live our lives based on what others thought was best because it felt safe. It allowed us to put up these walls but Sarah when you felt those walls starting to crumble because you had feelings for me it scared you. It scared me because who would have believed that a guy like me could get a girl like you? When you asked me if my wish had come true I had to say no because I don't know if it will come true unless the person that I wished for realizes that she is capable of loving someone even if that someone is me."

Sarah continued to pace back and forth.

"You can pace all you want Sarah, but I am not letting this go. You will talk to me either on your own or ..."

"Or what Chuck?"

If looks could kill he would have been dead but Chuck wasn't going to let a look prevent the ball from rolling forward. He had a day or maybe even longer to break through Sarah walls. "I'll tell you what Sarah, you can sit, stand, pace and be Agent Walker all you want. You can threaten me, curse me, yell, whatever makes you feel better but you're not going to get very far till you admit that there is something between us. There always has been."

Sarah stared Chuck down. "You know nothing about me or my feelings. You don't know what I think or what I feel inside."

Chuck returned the look but with his brown eyes they were less threatening but were effective just the same. "I may not know your past and that's fine but I do know who you are, more than you think I do." Chuck faced Sarah. "You had a checkered past that has caused you to see the world differently than others. Your mother left you when you were ten and you were always on the run with your dad. You lived in and out of hotel rooms with 100 hundred different aliases. Your life has been one big performance with several roles to play but you don't need to act anymore."

Sarah felt a tear start to form in her eyes. She never cried when it came to her emotions. She hadn't even cried when her mom left so how could one man make her shed a tear twice? She wiped the tears that were forming.

Chuck leaned in and softly spoke. "I want to know you. I want to know Sarah Lisa Walker."

He wiped the tears that had formed on Sarah's cheek. "Sarah you need to stop fighting it. You're not going to win and you're not going to fight the Bartowski charm."

"Chuck, why are you doing this? Why are you making it so hard to resist you when you do nothing that should stop me from l-o." Sarah stopped.

"Make you what Sarah?"

Sarah whispered under breath. "Nothing."

"What was that?" Chuck had good hearing when it came to things that interested him.

"Chuck forget it, you know when you get this intersect out of your head and move on you'll forget all about me. You will be successful in anything that you put your mind to. I don't need to be around to prevent that from happening."

"I hardly think that I would ever forget about you Sarah." He paused. "You're my life whether the feelings that we have right now are real or fake, they are feelings and no one can make us feel something we don't feel. You can continue to hide behind your terrible past but that was the past and the future starts right now. You can hide behind your job and worry about whether to cross that line that you're so dangerously walking right now. You need to stop running and realize that I am here waiting for you. You think that I exhibit some power over you that you can't resist well then Sarah Walker call it what you want but I call it love and since the day you walked into the Buy More I knew for a fact that you felt the same way as I do."

Sarah looked up, puzzled. _How __did __he __know? __I __never __told __anyone. _Chuck's speech took Sarah aback. She tried to come up with something to retaliate but she was coming up empty.

Chuck knew he had hit a nerve but he wasn't stopping now. "I know you're worried about Beckman and what she will do if she ever found out that you, I mean us. I am afraid as well because I know that I would end up in a padded cell with 24 hours supervision and I don't think that they provide double beds so I figure that you'd be on your own." He always had something nerdy to say even at the best of times. He wanted to lighten the already heavy conversation.

Sarah was starting to love his rambling. She loved everything about him so why was it so hard to face him now? She looked up and tried to compose herself but her frustration and Chuck's words were colliding head on and her world was spinning out of control once more.

Chuck walked closer to her and leaned in while wrapping his arms around her.

Sarah tried to resist him and fought to move out of his arms.

Chuck had gained a lot of upper strength thanks to their workout sessions and was able to hold his own.

She continued to fight. She raised her hands and forcefully hit his chest.

Chuck didn't back down. He held onto her tighter waiting until she was ready to give up.

Sarah was one tough chick. Her hits became lighter and less forceful till they turned into light brushes of her fingers on his chest. She could feel his heart beating through his shirt and his protective arms holding her with no intention of letting her go. _He __really __knows __me. __He __doesn__'__t __care __about __my __past, __he __cares __about __for __my __future __and __he __cares __about __me. __He __loves __me. __How __can __I __fix __this? __I __just __pounded __him __and __he__'__s __still __holding __me. __What __can __I __do?__I __need __to __fix __it __now. __I __need __to __show __him __that __I __want __this __no __matter __what __the __cost __is __to __me. __He's __what__'__s __important__...__not __Beckman__...__not __the __CIA__...__my __past __or __my __many __aliases. __What's __important __is __what __is __happening __right __now. _Sarah looked up and met his gaze. "Chuck, you w – i."

That was all it took. Chuck re-established his hold on Sarah and brought his lips onto hers.

Sarah wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pressed his head forward to allow her to feel his lips against hers. They allowed each other access and the aerobic dance with their tongues sent their bodies into fast forward.

Chuck held on for dear life. He wasn't going to let Sarah go, not after this. The world could crash down on them and he wouldn't care. He had knocked down Sarah's walls so nothing else mattered but her. He grabbed Sarah and brought her up onto his hips.

Sarah wrapped her legs around his waist.

Chuck crashed Sarah into the wall while continuing to kiss her. He ran his lips down around her neck and down the seam of her tank top.

Sarah ran her hands through his hair while kissing his face and returning to his lips.

Chuck turned them around and headed to the ground where the blankets were (who's laughing now about the blankets … thank goodness for over packing). He placed Sarah gently on one of the blankets as he smoothed out the edges.

Sarah grew impatient. She didn't care what form the blankets were in she just wanted to make use of them.

Chuck gave her one of his smiles and straddled Sarah as he lowered her to the blanket. He didn't break the kiss as he reached under her shirt.

Sarah was surprised that Chuck was moving so fast but she didn't blame him. They had wasted a lot of time on their will they won't they situation.

Chuck leaned back, broke the kiss and sat up.

Sarah sat up and reached for his shirt. She slowly removed it, one to get all she could from the experience and two not to tear the tape that held his bandages. She lightly kissed the injured area trailing her lips over his strong chest. She ran her hands up and down his chest and arms while kissing every inch of him.

Chuck took Sarah's arms and held them above her head then he grabbed her tank top and raised it over her head while wrapping his arm around her waist. He kissed her neck focussing on several areas that he noticed got her a little excited.

Sarah reached for Chuck's belt and with precise fingers she undid it and carefully unbuttoned his jeans. She continued to stare at Chuck.

As he gazed at Sarah Chuck's face did his own flashing but this time it wasn't intersect related thank goodness. He rolled her over so that she was straddling his legs then he trailed his hands over her band and slowly removed her bra. He stared at this new wonderful sight that was Sarah.

She blushed when she saw the raw desire in his eyes as he stared at her then she leaned in and kissed him again.

Time stood still as their long awaited romantic nightmare finally came to an end.

Chuck rolled Sarah over. Every emotion was out in the open and there was no turning back now. No more excuses, no more missions to interrupt them. Their only mission was in front of them Chuck made love to the girl of his dreams all night long. His wish had finally come true.

Sarah awoke to Chuck's watch going off and quickly shut if off relieved that Chuck hadn't stirred. He was lying next to her looking so peaceful and after last night she wanted to let him sleep. Who knew that one nerdy guy could love like that? Who knew that lovemaking could be so intimate and personal? She had never felt this way before. What she'd had with Bryce didn't come close to what she'd experienced with Chuck. This was love. This was how two people showed their love for each other. It wasn't rehearsed or strategically planned out. It was raw, romantic, passionate and animalistic all at the same time. Sarah caressed Chuck's chest and ran her fingers through the short hairs on his beautiful chest. When Chuck started to move all Sarah could hope for was that they could continue this 'out there'. Sarah continued to talk to herself but didn't realize that she was not alone with her thoughts when Chuck answered her question.

Chuck turned over onto his side. "We'll take it one day at a time and find a way to make this work."

Sarah turned to face Chuck. "What are you saying?"

"You're not alone anymore. We will make this work. We have to because I don't waste three words on anybody."

"Three words?"

Chuck brought Sarah closer to him. "Yeah three words." He kissed her cheek. " I-" then he kissed her neck "- love - " then her lips "- you."

Sarah smiled and rolled Chuck onto his back and brought her arms up onto his chest. She kissed his neck and with her finger she wrote the letters I- L-O-V-E-Y-O-U-T-O-O on his chest.

As romantic as the gesture was Chuck wasn't going to let Sarah get away with it. "What did you write? I you tube?"

"Chuck! I love you."

"That's right, you do Sarah."

"Chuck!"

"Hey, I deserve to hear Ms Sarah Walker tell her man that she loves him."

"My man ... I like that."

Chuck kissed her forehead.

They held each other until they heard the sound of rocks crumbling they quickly got dressed and turned on a new set of flashes that were a little brighter than the ones they had used when they made love to each other.

Chuck held the flare up to where the dust was coming from then he heard a faint voice coming from one of the earpieces that he'd hooked onto his vest.

Sarah put it in Chuck's ear and he could faintly hear the voice of Casey. He spoke into his watch but Casey couldn't hear him. He tried to climb the wall but couldn't grab hold of a secure chunk of rock.

The sounds of rocks crashing above them continued as Sarah and Chuck stood with flares at the entrance that they had fallen into a day or so ago.

Chuck looked up as a boulder came crashing down knocking both he and Sarah to the ground. When the dust settled a rope dangled into the shaft.

Casey slid down the elevator shaft onto the ground. "Bartowski and Walker get up and sort your lady feelings out later. I don't like shimmering down elevator shafts so hurry up, grab your gear and let's get out of here."

Chuck and Sarah grabbed their gear and both grabbed the blankets at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.

Casey grunted and the team straddled into their harnesses and shot up the elevator shaft.

The fresh air was a welcoming sensation after two days in an enclosed shaft. Chuck turned to Casey. "How did you find us?"

"GPS on your watch moron and I saw you two get swallowed up after the blast went off."

"Well thanks Casey!" Chuck walked over to Casey and gave him a hug.

"I advise you to let go if you enjoy keeping your man parts."

Sarah looked up and desperately hoped that Chuck would like to keep his man parts cause she had hopes in using them over and over after last night.

Chuck released his grip.

Casey looked at Chuck and Sarah. "You're welcome."

Chuck and Sarah took one last look at the shaft and headed to the helicopter that was waiting for them.

Casey had phoned in to get some help to remove the stones and iron that had fallen onto the entrance causing it to close in.

Chuck and Sarah sat in the back row while Casey sat up front. Chuck took Sarah's hand and entwined it in his.

Sarah leaned into Chuck trying not to make it look too obvious that they were in love.

The team arrived back at castle after a long three day mission. General Beckman appeared on the screen. "Team, so glad to see all of you, Agent Walker, Mr Bartowski, are you two ok?'

"Yes general!" They both replied.

"I expect your reports first thing tomorrow morning and the USB ... do you still have it?"

Chuck reached into his vest and pulled out the USB and handed it to Casey. The files appeared on the screen, the team and Beckman were surprised to see the first file. It was a video dated two weeks ago of Bryce Larkin talking to what looked like one of the guys that Chuck and Sarah had come across before the blast.

"General his name is Franco Kovac, he's an ex-CIA agent."

"That's right Chuck but how do you know?"

"I flashed on him two days ago just shortly after we arrived at the mine."

"General once Chuck flashed we took out the men that were with him. We have no confirmation on the other two men."

"Thank you Sarah. We need to focus on what connection Bryce has with ex-agent Kovac."

Another image popped up that got the team quite concerned. Up on the screen was a picture of Chuck and Sarah on one of their last missions before Bryce had shot Chuck ... it named him as the human intersect.

14


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 is up. Thanks for all the reviews and comments. Again I CONTINUE to thank MRW for her assistance and encouragement to continue with this story. It has taken a completely different direction than what I initially thought this story was gearing towards. So along with the writer's anxiety about this chapter and MRW's pep talk I decided to post it. This story has no clear direction nor specific season in mind – it is basically all my favourite parts/dialogues from all 5 seasons, all mixed into one amazing story – all these ideas are what goes on in my head and right now it's a busy place.**

**I don't own CHUCK – like I've said from the beginning – which I am totally sad about. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 8 – Puzzles and all that Jazz**

General Beckman and the team stood in silence as they looked at the pictures that popped up from the files Chuck and Sarah had found in Chile. Beckman looked as if her worst nightmare had come true.

"Team we need to find out when these were taken and by whom. We need to keep this sealed. Chuck I am…."

"Protective detail ... I know the drill," Chuck said sinking into his chair.

"General, maybe they don't know what's in the files. Maybe they won't come after Chuck."

"Sarah, I am as worried as you are but we need to keep Chuck safe. Whoever knows about these files and the fact that Tommy is dead also knows that Bryce is out there and he doesn't have the intersect. Chuck has to be put …"

Sarah looked at Chuck. She couldn't see him surviving in a bunker nor was she about to let them take him underground especially after what they had shared in the mineshaft. It wasn't fair.

"Chuck, I'll have you stay with ..."

"He can stay with me while Casey watches his sister," Sarah interjected. "Like you said, we want to limit the exposure for his family."

Beckman nodded. "Very well Sarah. Casey I would like an update on who is coming and going at Chuck's complex."

Casey, not wanting to give in to his disgruntled objection for not having to babysit Chuck, saw this as a big step forward for Walker. He had endured many weeks of their WTWT and figured that Sarah would welcome some time alone with Chuck so they could actually talk and figure things out.

Chuck grabbed a few things from his locker and headed over to Sarah's car. He was very quiet on the ride back to her home.

Sarah could feel the tension in the car. She knew Chuck was worried that he would end up in an underground bunker if they didn't hurry up and solve the puzzle. There were too many pieces that didn't quite fit the picture.

Chuck followed Sarah into the house and sat down by the window.

Sarah put her bags down, walked over to Chuck and knelt down in front of him.

Chuck caressed her cheek. He could tell that she knew how he was feeling. He didn't know why but he felt better knowing that she understood what he was going through.

Without a word Sarah stood up and headed into the kitchen. They hadn't eaten anything big since they were in the safe house and her cupboards were bare. She hadn't really purchased any groceries since Chuck last stayed at her house plus she rarely cooked. She opted for some takeout and by the looks of Chuck food wasn't going to help this time but she thought that she would ask. "Hey Chuck, I'm low in the food department so I'm going to order takeout. Is there anything specific that you want?" When her question was met with silence she walked back into the living room and saw that he wasn't sitting in the chair but had gone outside. She put the phone down and walked onto the balcony placing her arms around Chuck's chest.

Chuck placed his hands on hers. He welcomed everything about her. He turned around. This was their first real hug since they had made love in the mineshaft. They stood there embracing every moment that they could. The hug slowly and gracefully turned into a warm kiss. The kiss then moved into more passion and the need to be close.

Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand and led him inside. They knew that they couldn't change what tomorrow would bring but they could control this moment and slow it down to whatever speed they wanted.

Chuck slowly unzipped Sarah's black leather jacket and let it fall to the floor then he leaned in to kiss her neck. There was no rush, no timeline and again no lines to remember.

Sarah lifted Chuck's shirt; he was still wearing the same one from Columbia. She went for his belt and he went for the button on her jeans. Both fell to the floor. Chuck wanted to be with Sarah and he knew that this could be the last time they had a chance to be together. They leaned in and embraced each other's lips and headed for the bedroom. Chuck placed Sarah on the bed and Sarah got comfortable in the middle. Chuck straddled her and dragged his lips up and over her stomach. He explored her body and embraced every touch to memory, something that he hadn't spent a whole lot of time on in the mind shaft.

Sarah rolled Chuck over and straddled him while touching and grazing his chest with kisses and caresses. She looked down at his scars and carefully touched the one just below his heart. She recalled the last time she'd touched it and a tear fell onto his chest.

Chuck sat up and grabbed Sarah's hand and looked into her eyes. "I'm ok. They're just scars, just a physical reminder of ..."

"Of the fact that you were shot and there was nothing that I could do about it."

"Sarah, you did as much as you could do. You need to stop blaming yourself."

Sarah started to put up her walls again but Chuck held her tight against his chest. He held onto her until she started to lightly caress his face, his eyes followed by a kiss for each of them. She took her time touching his face, lips and neck then drew him into a kiss.

Chuck held onto her for as long as he could then he caressed her back running his hands and fingers up and down her spine. He slowly unclasped her bra and continued to kiss her shoulders, neck and eventually their lips met with open anticipation. The rest of the night was theirs. One thing that they could control, one thing that was their own. No aliases, no missions, no past but a future that secretly they both were thinking about but not wanting to express or talk about. They made love for the second time and it was as memorable as the first.

**Much later ...**

Chuck and Sarah sat in the hotel's restaurant. They were both very hungry and Sarah wanted to be in a somewhat controlled environment that she was familiar with. If all failed Casey wasn't too far away and Castle was only a fifteen minute drive ... for Sarah that was seven minutes in her Porsche.

Chuck gazed as Sarah. She had a healthy appetite and he was surprised at how many pancakes she'd eaten. "Babe, are you hungry?"

"Famished," she replied grinning at him. "I wonder why?"

Chuck got a goofy grin on his face. "I couldn't tell."

Sarah leaned in and gave Chuck a kiss.

He didn't object. "So I guess we can increase our PDA?"

She tilted her head, smiled and took another bite of her mounds of pancakes.

Back at Castle

Casey had been waiting for the two of them to arrive at Castle. He didn't like waiting but when he saw what Sarah and Chuck had brought for him he had a change of heart. He eyed the stack of pancakes and the bottle of syrup that Sarah had 'borrowed' from the hotel then he dug into his pancakes.

Beckman appeared on the screen. "Sorry to disturb your breakfast Major Casey."

"You're not ma'am," Casey responded with a mouth full of pancake.

"Morning team."

"Morning General."

General Beckman glanced at Chuck and Sarah sensing that something was different between them. "Agent Walker, Chuck, is everything alright?"

Sarah looked at Chuck then back at the screen. "Everything's fine General."

"Chuck?"

Chuck leaned back on his heels and looked up at the screen. "Yuppers, all's good but my side hurts if you're asking in general how I'm doing. I opened my incision when we fell from the shaft but otherwise I am ok."

Sarah knew that if she didn't shut him up quickly he'd spill more than the pain in his side. He would become a pain in her butt. "General were fine."

"Ok then. Our next step is to figure out what these codes are and how they are connected to Bryce. We need to find out what former Agent Franco Kovac's involvement is with Fulcrum and the CIA and whether he's the one they call the 'The Man'. We also need to figure out if there are any other mines that Fulcrum has set up as a home front, who took these pictures and when were they taken. Agent Walker, I need you to run background information on Kovac – see where he went after he retired. I will grant you access above your pay grade for this one time only. Casey, after you're done with your breakfast, I need you to talk to Colonel Klinger."

"Hey Casey, ask him if he's seen Hogan ... remember Hogan's Heroes?"

General Beckman was not pleased that she'd been interrupted but Sarah smiled at Chuck. Beckman gave him a stern look. "As I was saying Chuck ... Casey please go and see Colonel Klinger. He's willing to share the information he has on Kovac's past missions."

"Yes General," Casey replied as he wiped his mouth.

"And Chuck, I need you to use that brain of yours to figure out the codes and what they are. They had to be important for Bryce to keep them quiet. Maybe they will give us some answers as to why he sent you the intersect and why he shot you. I'll send you some extra agents to assist in this matter. We need to figure this out before Fulcrum retaliates because we blew up their last base. I will be in touch team. You're dismissed."

"Well kids, got to go but thanks for the pancakes." Casey grabbed his bag and ran up the stairs.

Sarah walked over to her computer and started running a background check on Kovac. She punched in his name and pressed enter. While she was waiting for the computer to buffer the data she turned around to face Chuck who was sitting on the table staring at her with a goofy grin on his face. "It looks like this will take some time," she said returning his smile and thinking about how much she wanted to kiss him again. When he jumped off the table and walked over to her Sarah's heart started to race but she couldn't let him know what she was feeling because she knew where it would end and this wasn't the time or place for that to happen. There were too many eyes and ears in Castle.

As Chuck walked past her he whispered in Sarah's ear in a singing tone. "I know what you're thinking and you have a dirty mind."

Sarah bit her bottom lip and smiled. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Chuck sat at his desk twirling around in his chair. He laid out all the Intel that Sarah had sent herself, set out the notes he'd written before and during the flight to Columbia and the Intel from Chile. He quickly typed the data into the computer and made a program to crosscheck any variables or Intel that had similarities or possible connections to the key words that he'd come up with: SWAN – STARS – NORTHERN – ORION- CYGNUS MILKY WAY – ROAD – PASSAGE – CIRCLE – FORNAX GROUP.

When the four agents that Beckman had sent arrived at Castle Chuck set them up at the vacant desks and gave them the key words. "Find anything that has any association to the CIA, Bryce Larkin, Columbia and Chile." He sat back down to review Sarah's notes. The name Fornax jumped out at him and wondered if it had any significance because it was the second time he'd come across that name. He continued reading but discovered that Sarah had not completed her findings. He walked over to her desk where she was still reviewing data on Kovac. "Hey Babe, oops I mean Sarah, how's it going?"

"It's not. I've been staring at this computer for hours and still nothing. There doesn't appear to be any files on the CIA server that help us but you flashed on Kovac which makes me wonder if Fulcrum deleted his file. Why would they do that?"

Chuck shook his head as he gave Sarah the piece of paper. "Do you recall why you circled this name?"

Sarah turned around and looked at the name FORNAX. "I don't know, it just felt familiar. Why?"

"Because it's the second time I've come across this name. The first time I flashed on it was when the stewardess gave me a newspaper and there was an article containing the name."

"A stewardess gave you this?"

"Yeah, it was the brunette…."

"Chuck!"

"What? She was very nice …"

"I bet she was," Sarah replied scowling at him.

"Relax Sarah, there's no need to get jealous."

"Me jealous? Never!"

Chuck smiled. "Sure we'll go with that one."

Sarah reached up and hit him on the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Chuck rubbed his arm.

Sarah moved his hand and rubbed his arm. "Sorry Chuck. Please refrain from talking about other women when you're with me ... especially brunettes."

Chuck gave her a mock salute and smiled. "Yes ma'am!" He sat down next to her. "What did the article say?"

"It was an old article, at least 2 years' old," Sarah replied. "They found it tucked away in a seat about a week or so ago. The article refers to an organization that was re-establishing itself as a mining group that quickly came into a lot of money. Its board members were holding a meeting in China to set up new locations in …"

Just then Casey walked in. "They are setting up locations in China and Sweden."

"That's right," Sarah replied with a look of surprise. "Casey, how did you know that?"

"Colonel Klinger informed me that when he and Kovac were on a black ops mission twenty years ago they came across two mines that were at one time the world's largest copper mines; one was in China and the other was in Sweden. Kovac met with an informant who claimed to know the locations of the enemy cells in the mines. Klinger believed his partner and they headed to the first one in China but they were blindsided as soon as they entered the mine. Klinger believes to this day that it was a set-up to prevent the CIA from finding the main base. He believes that Kovac switched the coordinates at the last minute allowing the cell to move and close up their base. They never got to pursue the other lead. Their boss recalled them because he didn't want the Chinese Government hot on their trail for a busted mission and then have to explain the collateral damage."

Chuck looked at Sarah and Casey. "So I guess we're going to China. Let's go."

When Chuck walked past Casey he grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back. "Hold on Lone Ranger, we can't barge into another country without a good reason. I'll run it past Beckman to see what she thinks. Until then sit tight and tend to silver."

"It's copper Casey. I'm looking at copper mines not silver mines."

Sarah waited for Chuck to catch on. Some days he was with it and other days he wasn't.

"Tend to silver," he muttered under his breath when he realized that Casey was joking with him. "You think you're so funny."

"Chuck it's ok," Sarah said trying to get his mind off Casey's attempted sense of humor.

"You know what I would like to do?" She brushed her hand alongside Chuck's leg.

Chucked looked from her hand to her face and swallowed hard. "I think I can guess."

Sarah's smile turned to disappointment. "Unfortunately, we can't leave until we take care of this situation."

Chuck knew where they could go and it was very private. He grabbed Sarah's hand and led her down the hall. He knew where the cameras were so he knew when to let go of her hand.

Sarah wasn't sure what was happening but followed him all the same.

Chuck waited till the light switched to green knowing that they only had a few seconds to enter the side panel before the camera switched back to the hall. He pulled Sarah inside the gap and quickly shut the panel just as the camera switched to red.

Sarah tried to get in the moment when Chuck kissed her but she couldn't. "We can't do this here, there are cameras everywhere."

"There's none in here," he replied bending to kiss her neck.

Sarah shoved him away from her. "What are you saying?"

"You're ruining a perfect moment here. We have less than twenty minutes before someone comes looking for us." When he saw that she was waiting for an answer he said, "When they rebuilt Castle they didn't complete this access panel. They just covered it up and moved the emergency panel to one of the holding cells. I found this panel one day when I was rewiring Castle with broad bent wire. We are safe from the wandering eyes of Castle in here. If you want to talk we can leave. If you want to stay and continue this then shut up and kiss me!"

Sarah didn't have to be asked twice. She ground her hips into Chuck as he picked her up and pushed her against the wall. The small room quickly heated up as they continued to kiss and make out. She knew that her self-control was very quickly reaching its limit so she whispered. "Is this place sound proof?"

"Why would you ask that?" Chuck asked trying to kiss her again. _He recalled the time he'd overheard her confessing in the locker room and hoped that she wouldn't find out that he heard her._

"Yeah it is," Chuck lied. "If it wasn't we would be able to hear people out in the hall."

His smile melted Sarah's heart and she decided that she could really start to like this relationship thing. She already loved the man who held her tight and was kissing her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced every touch and caress. She leaned back to put some space between them and went for Chuck's belt. She slowly tugged at it and gave him a come hither look.

Chuck embraced the motion of his belt being removed then his cell rang.

Sarah looked at Chuck.

He grinned at her. "Well l can't grab it."

Sarah lifted her hips and reached down to pull Chuck's cell out of his pocket. She glanced at the screen. "It's a text from Beckman. She wants us to report to the Boardroom ASAP."

Chuck slowly let go of his hold on Sarah and she slid down his legs to the floor. He grabbed his phone and put it to his forehead. "Great! Stopped by a text! Maybe we should turn to texting, it might be the only way we will get anything."

Sarah gave Chuck one more passionate kiss. When they came up for air she responded, "It wouldn't be that bad would it? I mean you have the fingers for it."

Chuck snapped his teeth and tried to get the thought of him and Sarah texting what they were about to do out of his head.

Sarah smiled. "We will be together again soon, I promise. Maybe after we find out what Beckman wants we can head back to my place and you can finish what you started."?

**Castle Conference Room**

"Team you have clearance to go to China. Get in and get out as quickly as possible following strict protocol. Colonel Klinger believes that Kovac has been secretly managing a copper mine that has been hidden from Chinese officials. Their front is a rice farm but Intel has produced the following pictures." Images of trucks coming in and out of the rice fields popped up on screen.

Chuck flashed on the logo on the door of one of the trucks. It was made up of three lines: (like a 'Y' but looked more like a W) this symbol was then encased with a circle.

"Um General, that symbol."

"Yes Chuck, what about it?"

"It's a logo that was given to an operation classified Mega 17 called CYGNUS which is also known as one of constellations found in the Northern hemisphere. It has ties with the military project called ..." Chuck hesitated and looked at Casey, Beckman and then at Sarah.

"Well Chuck?" Beckman asked impatiently.

"Omaha ma'am. It has connections with the Omaha project, the one that I was supposed to be on that Bryce and Sarah ended up going on instead."

The room fell silent. The whole intersect project just took on a whole new twist. An added look into the Pandora's Box.

"Team, it's imperative that we get Kovac. We can't let Fulcrum get any further ahead. If they have ties with the Omaha project then Chuck's life, all our lives here, will be over. We need to take care of this. Casey, I've made arrangements for Colonel Klinger's team to meet you in China. They will provide you with guns and anything else you need. Chuck and Sarah, I need you to find out what the connection is and why CYGNUS is what it is. If CYGNUS is Fulcrum's version of the Omaha project we're in trouble."

"Yes General," all three agents chimed.

"I'll fill you in once I get more Intel. Be safe team." Beckman signed off.

"Wow, this job gets more interesting as the days go on. Who knew there would be more than one possible mission to deal with this intersect. Bartowski, just don't forget where your loyalties lie. We wouldn't want you to go all Larkin on us now, would we?"

"Cut it out Casey." Sarah turned around to look at Chuck who was visibly shaken.

"Sarah, what are we going to do?"

She walked over to Chuck wanting more than anything to hug him but knew that the eyes were watching. She placed her hand on Chuck's arm and gave it a squeeze. "We'll get through this. We'll make it work."

**Somewhere over the Pacific and it's not all rainbows**

Chuck glanced at Sarah when she sat down next to him having just returned from a private conference call on the upstairs deck of the plane. She seemed to be having a lot of these calls lately. At first he'd assumed that it was her way of investigating for the Fornax mission but as he was still trying to figure Sarah out he couldn't be sure. He loved her with all his heart but he still had suspicions about her past. He hoped that someday her past would be as open to him as his was to her.

When Sarah placed her hand in his he lifted it to his lips and kissed it giving her a gentle smile.

She smiled and squeezed his hand knowing that this was the best they could do right now. It was harder to exert self-control since they'd been intimate but she knew they had to when they were on missions. Her admiration for Chuck had grown over the preceding months and now more than ever she found him very sexy. He was also handsome in a nerdy kind of way, which certainly helped him in the sexy department. She knew that one of these days Casey was likely to find out what was going on between her and Chuck which didn't concern her as much as Beckman finding out. She and Chuck had to remain apart until they could figure out a way to get Beckman to agree to them being in a relationship and continue to work together.

Casey entered the cabin and Chuck quickly let go of Sarah's hand.

Casey gave Chuck and Sarah a cautious look then sat down across from them. "We need to figure out where we're going once we arrive on Laos and what our first priority will be." He placed the files on the table and they each picked up one and opened it. They discussed Colonel Klinger's mission to China twenty years ago.

Chuck looked at the newspaper article and the pictures that had been taken of Sarah and him before he'd gotten shot.

Casey sat back in his seat. "Klinger believes that there's a key in the Fornax mine in Eastern China that supposedly unlocks a room that may contain very important coded messages. We need to obtain the code before Fulcrum gets a hold of them. Klinger thinks the key may be hidden inside a room within a room or behind a fake wall. We need to look for anything that could trigger these doors or rooms to open but we need to proceed with caution because it could be a trap. Our goal is to get in, obtain this key and Intel and get out. We'll be dropped off a few miles from the mine, which is tucked away behind a rice farm so we'll need to trudge through a few fields to reach it. Klinger has hidden our supplies near a vacant watering hole. We'll load up there and enter with the last shift at midnight."

They went back to reading their reports each lost in their own thoughts.

Chuck noticed an image of a person in a window in one of the pictures but it wasn't clear and he didn't have the equipment on the plane to examine it more closely so he made a mental note to check it out later.

When the plane's phone rang Casey pushed the speaker button to answer it. "Hello?"

"This is Agent Whitby. I ran a fingerprint check on the newspaper containing the article you were looking at earlier. Besides Major Casey and Agent Bartowski's prints there were partial prints of another CIA agent."

The team looked at each other then back at the speakerphone.

Sarah spoke first. "Who was the other agent?"

"I'll send you what I have but the agent's file has been sealed so it's not much," Whitby replied. "Even Beckman doesn't have clearance to unseal the file."

"Roger that Whitby. Thanks for your help," Casey said disconnecting the call and looking at Chuck and Sarah. "Like I said earlier, this intersect mission gets more interesting by the day."

Chuck's computer beeped and when he checked the screen he saw a notification box asking him if he wanted to accept a download from Agent Whitby. Chuck clicked on yes to activate the download. When it was complete he brought the file up on the plane's TV screen so that all three of them could look at it.

Sarah and Casey didn't recognize anything but Chuck flashed. Images of a little girl, small town, a swan, white tiger and flashes of outer space spun back and forth in his mind. He leaned back. His flashes were getting stronger and more intense.

Sarah knelt down beside Chuck conscious that she had to be careful not to cross any lines that would reveal to Casey how close she and Chuck really were. "Are you okay?"

Chuck grabbed his head.

"What is it this time Bartowski?" Casey called from the couch.

Chuck motioned for Sarah to get him something to write on. He grabbed a pen and wrote down what he'd seen in his flash then he handed the paper to her. She read it then passed it to Casey.

Chuck leaned his head back against the headrest of the chair and closed his eyes. His flashes were starting to hurt his head and physically drain him. He stood up, excused himself and walked to the back of the plane where he lay down on the couch.

Sarah leaned back in her chair so that she could see Chuck wishing that she could go to him but she had to be Sarah Walker the spy and not Sarah Walker the girlfriend.

_Girlfriend, Sarah thought to herself. She liked that word. She finally had a title that didn't have a rank or serial number attached to it. She was Chuck Bartowski's girlfriend - someone who loved her for her. Someone who would do whatever it took to protect her. Chuck was her personal knight in shining armour._

Sarah grabbed the list of words that Chuck had flashed on and scanned them wishing she could have her own flash. Again she felt a sense of familiarity when she read the word Fornax and wondered where she'd come across it before this mission and why it had come to the surface now? She put the paper down and stared out of the window into the dark sky.

"Hey Walker Chuck's sleeping. We don't land for another eight hours, why don't you get some sleep as well?

Sarah stood up and touched Casey's shoulder. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Casey grabbed his jacket and plopped his army boots on the table and fell asleep almost instantly.

Sarah walked over to the couch where Chuck was lying, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as she ran her hand through his hair. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. She grabbed a blanket from the overhead storage unit and covered him with it then gave him one more kiss before slipping off her boots and settling down on the couch on the opposite side of the plane. She wanted to watch Chuck sleep but it had been a long day and her eyes started to droop closed. She smiled to herself as she fell asleep thinking about everything that had happened with Chuck over the last few days.

Sarah wasn't sure if it was the plane that had run onto turbulence or if she was dreaming but either way it was making her feel uncomfortable.

_The freshly washed linen blew in the backyard in the warm summer breeze. Music played from the garage as a young man tuned his 68 Falcon - a two-tone white car with a sky blue top. The young man wiped down his baby as his little girl watched her daddy take as much care of his car as he did of his little girl._

_"Lisa, can you find the socket wrench for daddy?"_

_Lisa got off the bench and headed to the tool box. She loved working on the car with her dad. It was the only time, besides their road trips, that they ever spent time together. She didn't like their road trips because her dad made her stay in the car or pretend to be something she wasn't but at the age of eight she didn't really care. She liked riding in the car. Whenever her dad played his cassette tapes of his favourite group called 'Rush' he would tell Lisa the story about how he'd met her mom at a Rush concert back in 1980. Their favourite album was 2112. Her mom and dad always told her that the truth was in the lyrics, 'The world can be cruel and within the hemispheres the truth is they're staring back at you from the sky'. _

_Lisa would shrug it off as another weird speech from her parents. "Mom, I'm only eight."_

_"Lisa Dear." Her mom walked over to her where she was sat looking out of the window. "I know you're only eight sweetie but one day these lyrics and these stories will make sense to you. You're a big girl and you know that your mom and dad love you and would do anything for you."_

_Lisa turned around to look at her mom. "I know."_

_Lisa's mom smiled. "Good. I need you to be a big girl because we have something we need to tell you. It may not make sense now but it will someday and when you remember it, it will help save a lot of people. What we tell you today has to be our secret. If and when you have to tell someone about it make sure that it's someone you trust like you trust us."_

_Lisa's dad left the garage and came back with another man who looked familiar to her. Lisa stared at the man then looked over to the far wall of the garage where there hung a picture of her parents and this man wearing Rush T-shirts and holding a sign that had the words ..._

A beep rang out in the plane startling Sarah and the rest of the team from sleep. She opened her eyes and realized that she'd been dreaming again. Her therapist had told her that memories of her past would surface one day and lately her dreams had become more and more frequent. When the dreams had first started she'd quietly made the call to her therapist who had been with her since she was sixteen when her whole world had been turned upside down. She suspected that part of the reason the dreams had started was because of her feelings for Chuck. She wanted him to know the real her but she couldn't just come out and tell him that she was seeing a therapist to deal with her past so that she could have a future with him. She also feared that if people found out that the infamous Sarah Walker was seeing a head shrink it would jeopardise her career and everyone would start second guessing her which would obliterate her reputation of being someone you wouldn't want to reckon with. Her game face fell into place as she sat up and put on her boots.

Chuck had been awake for a few minutes and had been trying to get in a few glances before Sarah noticed.

"Quit looking at me," Sarah whispered.

"I can't and you know why?"

Sarah gave him a knowing smile.

Chuck stood up and raised his arms in a stretch then looked towards the front of the plane. When he saw Casey head to the bathroom he waited for him to shut the door then he walked over to Sarah and drew her into a warm embrace. "We have 10.7 minutes before Casey is back," he said leaning in to kiss her.

"That's oddly specific," she smiled. "How do you know that?"

"Know what?" Chuck asked in between kisses.

"How long Casey takes …" She welcomed his kisses finding them comforting after her disturbing dream.

"Does it matter?" he asked sounding a little distracted.

"I guess not," she murmured as she ran her hands through his hair and pulled him closer.

"This will have to do till we can be alone," Chuck said when they finally drew apart.

Sarah ran her fingers down the front of his shirt. "I suppose."

Chuck looked down at her when he heard the wistful tone in her voice. "You ok?"

She nodded and smiled at him wishing she had the courage to tell him about her dream. "I'm fine. How's your head?"

"It helps to sleep it off but I need to figure out another way of recovering from my flashes because I can't resort to sleeping every time they happen. No one can tell me why I keep getting these headaches every time I flash."

"Chuck, you can't continue putting yourself through this kind of pain. It can't be good for you."

"Don't worry that pretty little head of yours. If one of us is having sweet dreams then it's all worth it."

Sarah tried to keep a straight face thinking if only he knew.

Chuck checked his watch and quickly kissed Sarah's forehead knowing that Casey would be coming out of the bathroom any second. They headed to the front of the plane to started looking over the files again.

**Several hours later ...**

It was dark when the plane finally landed in a deserted airfield, which helped to maintain their cover. When they walked out of the hangar to the open airstrip the darkness was quickly engulfed by the high beams of a Ranger Rover. The truck stopped and two men dressed in army attire climbed out of the car and saluted Casey.

"Colonel Klinger sent us to transport you to your hotel and get you settled sir."

Casey returned their salute. "Thank you corporal."

The taller of the two soldiers glanced at Chuck and Sarah. "Agent Walker, Agent Carmichael, the pleasure is all ours."

Chuck and Sarah acknowledged the corporal's greeting with a smile then climbed into the truck with Casey.

They headed to a hotel on the outskirts of town; close enough to the mine but far enough not to raise any red flags to anyone watching them. Once they were checked into their rooms Casey and Chuck set up their gear while Sarah emptied the supplies from the truck into their backpacks. When Sarah opened Chuck's backpack and saw what he'd packed she laughed. He'd repacked the blanket pouches and added a few packs of cheese balls from the Buy More, candles and matches. He'd also brought along his iPod, which didn't surprise her. He'd obviously been thinking the same thing she was thinking but she doubted if they would get any time alone to take advantage of the supplies he'd brought.

Casey scanned the horizon to get a sense of where they were heading while Chuck hooked up the cameras and binoculars to his computer to record surveillance footage. He walked over to the table Sarah had set up and looked over the pictures they'd brought with them trying to figure their connection to his flash. He scanned the files and symbols he'd drawn on a piece of paper. Nothing made sense, which he found strange because his flashes always meant something. They were a means to an end but this time he was dumbfounded.

_Think Bartowski! You're the intersect, you can do this. He wondered if what he was looking for wasn't in the intersect. Maybe the images were just random things that had for some reason got connected to this mission. Was that even possible? Why would random images be in my head if they don't?_

When Chuck leaned over to grab a pencil the picture of him and Sarah resurfaced. He picked it up and concentrated on the blurred reflection of someone in the store window then he placed it on the table and scanned it with his handheld scanner. When the picture appeared on his screen he zoomed in on the image of the reflection trying to enhance it. After a few tries a slightly focused image came up on his screen. He printed the picture out and was about to take a closer look when Casey brushed past him. "Time to roll Chuck."

Chuck looked at the picture, something in it was calling his name but he couldn't figure out what. He sighed and set it aside then headed to the door where Sarah was standing holding his backpack. He smiled a thank you to her and they disappeared into the darkness.

**Somewhere in China**

They reached the fake rice farm and located the gear that had been left for them. Casey motioned to the team to follow the workers that were entering the mine for their midnight shift. Once the team entered they lay low till the remaining workers walked further into the mineshaft.

"You weren't joking when you said this mine was hidden. No wonder Kovac didn't want Klinger to find this place," Chuck whispered.

"Ok, our goal is to find the key – whatever and wherever it could be. Beckman wants the key and the intel so Chuck …."

"Yeah I know the drill Casey. Flash on whatever I can and grab the Intel."

Casey adjusted his back pack. "I'm going to head further into the mine to see what I can find. We will meet back at the hotel. Get in and get out. Got it?"

"Yes ... in and out," Chuck repeated.

Casey got up and disappeared into one of the long dark mine tunnels. You could hear a pin drop it was so quiet. The cave was similar to one they'd found in Chile. Chuck and Sarah scanned the area to see where they should go.

Sarah could tell that something was bothering Chuck; he wasn't 100% on his game but with most missions lately there had been a lot to take in plus they had never really talked about the mineshaft and what had transpired there so it was little wonder that it was starting to get to him. She helped Chuck with his backpack. "You good?"

Chuck turned to look at her. "I'm good."

Sarah didn't believe him for a second but there was nothing she could do about it while they were in the mine shaft. She just hoped that once this mission was over it didn't result in Chuck ending up in an underground bunker. In a moment of weakness she tenderly caressed his arm and kissed him on the cheek. "Love you!"

Chuck leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. "Love you too."

Chuck and Sarah headed east into the second tunnel left of the one that Casey headed into. The cave smelt of copper piping and mouldy socks. Water dripped off the sides of the tunnel and the faint lights hung on thin wire every four feet. Chuck kept his eyes forward just in case anything unexpected popped up.

Sarah ran her hands up and down the caves walls looking for a concealed entrance.

They walked for about fifty feet when they heard voices, mainly Chinese but Chuck was able to decode most of it. One thing Chuck had come to appreciate about the intersect was that it gave him instant access to any information he needed without him having ever opened a book or researched anything. "It sounds like there could be a room up ahead. Whoever just came out of there was reminded to lock up."

"That's good," Sarah replied. "Let's go check it out."

They headed in the direction of the voices. When they reached the door it was indeed locked.

Sarah crouched down and started to pick the lock while Chuck kept an eye on the path. As soon as the door opened Sarah slipped inside the room followed closely by Chuck who quickly closed the door.

Chuck immediately spotted a computer in the far corner of the room and headed over to it. He switched it on, cracked the password in seconds and connected a pen drive to the USB port to download the files.

Sarah quickly ran her hand up and around the walls of the office looking for a concealed door.

While Chuck was watching the files download the photograph on the wall caught his eye and he walked over to it. He wiped the dust off it to get a better look staring at the tree house with a sign that read: '_Nerds only. Enter at your own risk.'_ The images in the photo seemed familiar to him although he wasn't sure why because they weren't in the intersect.

When Sarah noticed Chuck staring at the photograph she walked over to it stopping dead in her tracks when she realized that the house with patio lanterns hanging from the tree which was leaning towards the front of the house with a small dilapidated fire pit and striped metal lawn chairs all seemed familiar to her but it was the car in the forefront that really got her attention - a '68 Falcon, a two-tone white car with a sky blue top.

Chuck snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the computer beep signalling that the download was complete. He used his phone to take a picture of the photograph then headed across the room to the computer.

Sarah tried not to make it evident that she too was affected by the photograph knowing that her reaction just added to the many unanswered questions of one Sarah Walker.

Chuck grabbed the pen drive from the USB port, shut down the computer and headed towards the door while keeping an eye on the photograph. When he turned to the door Sarah ripped the photo off the wall and stuffed it into her vest then followed him out of the office.

Chuck glanced at his watch then at Sarah. "We need to hurry up and find that key."

She nodded and followed Chuck into a dimly lit area piled high with crates each marked with the date and shipping destination. There were marked Japan (Hiroshima), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) and Sweden (Kiruna); the last destination seemed out of place.

"Hey Sarah, doesn't it seem a little weird to you that all these crates are being shipped to ports/cities in Asia with the exception of one crate that is going to Sweden. It's seems a little far in comparison to the other two countries."

Sarah bent to check the crate marked Sweden then stood up again. "I think you might be onto something." She grabbed her knife and wedged it under the lid to open it.

When the lid was loosened Chuck pulled it off.

Sarah pushed the packing straw out of the way and discovered patented drawings of something that an engineer would draw up or even Da Vinci himself for all she knew.

Chuck took the drawings from her and quickly looked them over. "They're drawings for some type of circumference or data collector."

Sarah looked at him as if he'd suddenly grown two heads. "What?"

Chuck gave her a small smile. "They're plans to make something that collects a lot of data – something like the CPU in a computer - a hard drive so to speak."

Sarah, who was more comfortable in a knife fight than she was talking about computer technology, took him at his word. She reached into the crate to retrieve the box that was wedged into the corner.

Chuck looked at the box as Sarah placed it down on top of the crate next to it.

Sarah tried to look for an opening but couldn't see one. "I can't find a way into this box, it's locked."

Chuck placed his hands on Sarah's. "This is a Venetian puzzle box – very popular with Renaissance spies. The running, jumping and shooting people part of the job that's all you guys but the puzzles and all that jazz that's all me." He turned his attention back to the box. "You'd think that using the numerals 1 to 12 would solve it but this sequence works differently. He slid the pieces around on the puzzle until he heard a click then he looked up at her and smiled. "Let's see what we have here." He slowly lifted the lid and placed it on the crate then reached in and to his surprise pulled out a single key and an antique Celestial Goble.

Sarah grinned at him. "Great job Chuck. We have the key but what's that?"

"This is a Celestial Globe. Its job is to show a star's position on a star map which can then be placed in the sky at a specific time."

Sarah took the key and globe. "Maybe this is it. Maybe this is what we were looking for but where does this key fit into?"

Just then Chuck and Sarah heard a commotion coming down the tunnel.

Sarah threw everything back into the crate. "We need to get out of here and head back to the hotel."

Chuck picked up the crate and followed Sarah towards the entrance.

Sarah felt as if they were being watched. She'd had that feeling once before with Chuck and blamed it on her superspy senses but for some reason she didn't feel scared. She looked back down the tunnel but saw no one.

Chuck who was now way ahead of her stopped and whispered, "Sarah?"

She continued to stare into the tunnel then leaned against the wall to stay out of view waiting to see if the noise surfaced again. She watched as a silhouette came into view. The image looked familiar but she couldn't make it out. She could tell that the person was female but that was about it. She leaned forward to get a better look then felt Chuck tug on her arm. She didn't want to leave without knowing who this person was.

Chuck tugged on her arm again when more noises came from the recesses of the tunnel. "Come one Sarah we've got to go."

Sarah knew he was right and eventually followed him to the entrance but her mind was still on the person in the tunnel. _Who was it and why for the second time hadn't this person made herself known to her?_

Back at the Hotel

Chuck threw his back pack on the floor. He hadn't talked to Sarah since leaving the tunnel. He had a lot of questions with no answers. This mission and Sarah's secrets were taking their toll on him. He opened the box, took out the contents and placed them on the table then he lifted each item in turn analysing it while trying to process everything that had happened in the tunnel. He recalled the photograph on the wall and the look on Sarah's face as she'd stared at it then acknowledged that he'd been just as surprised by the images as she'd looked. When he'd realized that Sarah wasn't following him to the entrance of the tunnel he'd gone back for her and realized that she was waiting for something – or someone although he had no idea what or who.

Sarah didn't like the silence between them. Casey hadn't returned to the hotel yet which gave them the opportunity to talk without having to listen to his grunting and disapproving looks. "Talk to me Chuck."

Chuck enjoyed his talks with Sarah but this wasn't a fountain talk. It was a talk where he knew that if he said what he was really thinking he could lose her. As an agent he respected Sarah's privacy about her past but as her boyfriend he was beginning to question it. He got up from the table and walked onto the balcony. "What do you want to talk about?"

Sarah followed him outside. "I know you're keeping something from me."

_I'm not the only one Chuck thought to himself. "_Why would you think that?"

"Because you just answered a question with a question. You always do that when you don't want to answer questions that make you uncomfortable."

Chuck couldn't catch a break. Sarah knew him too well.

"I want to know what's bothering you."

He leaned against the balcony wall and turned to look at her. "You do?"

"Yes."

"Ok." Chuck took a deep breath. _Here goes Bartowski, don't blow it. _"What's your connection with Fornax? And don't tell me that you don't know because I know you know. I've flashed on your files so I'm sure there's nothing you can say that will surprise or shock me."

Sarah had forgotten about Chuck flashing on her and Bryce just before he'd gotten shot. She regretted that he'd found out some things about her past in a flash rather than her being able to tell him in person because she knew he had jumped to conclusions before she had time to explain.

She turned to him and held his gaze. "When I left the Farm at nineteen I left for several reasons. Firstly, I had advanced faster than they thought I would and some high ranking officials in the CIA thought I would be able to hold my own on a mission. I was ordered to set up a position in Fornax as a 'have to' girl. I was supposed to keep my eyes and ears open but not say anything unless it made the heads of the company roll. I learned from my dad that you can't trust those you can't see so I informed the CIA, Franco Kovac and his assistant Langston Graham, who was my superior, that Fornax was a façade for something bigger. They told me to maintain my cover and report back to them if I found out anything about a person or file by the name of Aquila and its connection to Fornax."

Chuck waited silently for her to continue.

"I discovered that Fornax was in talks with a few selected CIA agents about the mishandling of U.S. funds to fund operations in China. The person I was watching was also watching me, which I know sounds weird but it's the only way I can explain it. When I got in over my head it wasn't the CIA who helped me, it was this person. I wasn't sure who this person was or what side they were on but it wasn't Kovac or Graham. I didn't fear this person because they had a familiarity about them. It was almost as if I knew them even though I'd never seen their face. This person kept referring to a phrase or title."

Chuck sat down at the table with Sarah. "What was it?"

"Something oriental like, 'The white tiger of the west lies within'."

Chucked immediately flashed on the phrase which led to a flash on the name Aquila but there was no known visual. "Sarah, could the phrase be, 'Here lies within the white tiger of the west'?"

She looked at him, her surprise evident. "Yeah that's it. Did you flash?"

Chuck stood up. "Why would your past and that phrase be in the intersect all around the time that you were nineteen when you didn't start working with Bryce and the Omaha Project until you were twenty three and you've been with me for two years? Why would you be in my head?"

Sarah stood up. Chuck was scaring her.

Equally freaked out Chuck asked, "What was the second reason you left the Farm early?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know but there was no going back now.

"To prepare for the Omaha Project that was in its infancy stage. Officials in a separate branch of the CIA were creating a way to upload important CIA files that would allow them to assist agents in combat or any other type of missions. The experimental team that I was on was called..."

He got up and whispered, "Cygnus." Then he walked past her and went inside just as Casey entered the room.

Sarah was shocked that she'd forgotten so much from those early days when she was put on a team that was split between the Orion mission and the Cygnus project. How could she not have remembered all that before now? It had been her first mission. It was also around the time of her red test and she remembered that day as being the worst day of her life. Why was her past becoming so vivid now? She went inside and sat down on the bed opposite the chair where Chuck was sitting. "Chuck talk to me. Why would I be in the intersect from back then?"

He ignored her question and asked, "What else are you not telling me?"

"I don't understand," Sarah replied. "I just told you what you wanted to hear, right?"

"There has to be more." Chuck got up and started pacing. "If you were in the intersect before we met then there has to be a connection with Bryce, this person he's listening to and this mysterious person that was keeping an eye on you ... on us. This person had to know that you were going to ..." Chuck turned around and knelt down in front of her. "Please tell me about your red test?"

Sarah didn't want to relive that day which, next to Chuck getting shot, had been the worst day of her life. She had purposely stuffed it into the far recesses of her mind not to be remembered ever again. She stood up. "I can't Chuck!"

"It might be what we need to help us figure this out. Your past and mine are somehow connected."

Sarah averted her eyes unable to look at him. She couldn't tell Chuck about her red test. She hated herself for the person she'd become after that night but all that had changed the day she'd walked into the Buy More. She wasn't that wild card CIA agent anymore. She hadn't planned to become that person but when she'd had nothing to lose that was exactly what she'd become. After teaming up with Bryce their official status had very quickly been bumped up to that of the CIA's golden couple, something that wasn't hard to achieve but was hard to remove from one's self image. The title looked great with those high ranking government suits but not for someone who wanted a normal life but still wanted to be a CIA agent. Was it possible? _Could you still be an agent and live a normal life?_

She motioned for Chuck to sit down. He looked worried as he always did whenever she didn't want to talk about her past and yet he never really pressured her. He knew that her past came with a lot of baggage. She recalled the conversation they'd had on their very first date when he'd told her that he could be her very own baggage handler. That was probably the third nicest thing he'd ever said to her and had been the first stop to breaking down her walls. She knew in that very moment that she'd been taken; that she was beginning to cross the line and her distinct view of black and white had started to become a dark shade of grey. She'd been heart warmed and it was from that moment on that she started to fall in love with him.

Chuck waited for Sarah to talk but his waiting ended with her getting up and leaving. He grabbed her arm.

Sarah whirled around to face him. "It's my past! Not yours!"

"Yes but when your past is interfering with our future then I have a problem with that. Whether you like it or not your past makes our future." Chuck lowered his voice so that Casey couldn't hear him. "Remember in the mineshaft? Remember what I said? I want to know you. I want to know Sarah Lisa Walker and no matter how far you run or how high you put up those walls of yours you're not going to win."

Sarah walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Chuck walked over and placed his hand on the door. Sarah held her hand on the opposite side of the door. They could feel the energy that they were each giving off.

Chuck wanted more than anything to barge in the bathroom and hold Sarah. Their relationship was supposed to be sweet, innocent, full of giddiness, warm embraces, you name it ... but so far it had been one big chaotic mess. He reached for the doorknob.

Sarah held her breath half hoping that Chuck would open the door, half wishing that he'd leave her alone. When she heard him release the doorknob and walk away her heart sank and she realized that she had really wanted him to open the door and comfort her.

Casey sat at the table looking at the key and globe. "Great job Chuck, now we just need to find out where this key fits. What's up with Walker?"

Chuck sat down. "Nothing. Why?"

"I've been a spy long enough to recognize the signs Bartowski. There's something going on between you and Walker. It was evident from the time you got shot and I suspect something was going on even before that."

"Nothing's going on," Chuck insisted. "Sarah and I are colleagues. We had a disagreement and I was concerned."

"Disagreement?" Casey sniggered. "Yeah right! More like who's feeling were hurt first. Bartowski, I don't care if there's something going on between you and Walker. In fact, I couldn't be happier if there was but when you let your lady feelings interfere with my mission then I have a problem with it. _Capiche_?

Chuck nodded.

"You can share all the girly feelings you want but I can assure you Beckman will not be as supportive or understanding as I am so if you are the reason that Walker has locked herself in the bathroom then fix it!"

Chuck walked over to the table and sat down wondering why he had to fix it. It was Sarah's past that was the problem, not his. It seemed that everything about this mission was connected to her past. He sighed and grabbed the files on the table flipping through a few pages until he came across the picture of him and Sarah. It was from one of their very first missions taken in Prague. Their mission had been to capture a well known drug dealer called Marcello Benetio who they had later passed on to Interpol. Chuck remembered the day well. Sarah had once told him that she had a lot of stamps in her passport but she'd never really got to enjoy any of the places she'd visited. After that he'd made it his own private mission to ensure that she enjoyed the little things in life so when they had a few hours free after their mission in Prague he'd suggested a walk to which she'd agreed.

Chuck grabbed the photo and carefully looked at the reflection of the image of the person. He could tell that the person was female, light golden blonde hair, about 5'8. Who was this woman? Did she realize that she was in the picture? Why would she want a picture of us? Did she know who we were? He had more questions as he laid the picture down.

Sarah came out of the bathroom, walked passed him into the bedroom and closed the door.

Chuck got up and leaned against the wall waiting for her to open the door. He didn't like fighting with her especially now ... there were too many emotions and feelings on the table. He kept his eye on the door and on Casey. He was happy that Casey approved of him pursuing a relationship with Sarah but he didn't want to admit it till Sarah was ready to come clean about them.

Casey's phone rang. "Will do corporal. I'll be there shortly." He stood up. "Looks like one of sensors has been triggered. I'm going to go check it out. I'll be back shortly."

Chuck walked over to him. "Do you need back up?"

Casey grunted and pointed to the bedroom door. "You take care of your situation and I'll take care of mine." He squeezed Chuck's shoulder as he walked past him.

Chuck gave him a smile, closed the door after him then walked over to the bedroom. This time he turned the knob and entered the room. Sarah was sitting on her bed. He sat down beside her and placed her hand in his. To his surprise she leaned her head on his shoulder. "This has to stop Sarah, I don't like arguing with you!"

She looked up at Chuck and repositioned herself on the bed. "I don't like fighting with you either especially after what's happened between us."

"It makes it harder to stay away when all I want to do is hold you, be with you and shut out this spy life. I know my past isn't a popular topic and if by chance there is a connection between you and me I would like to find that out but I really don't know where to start."

Chuck looked at her and got a goofy idea but it was clear that Sarah had the same idea.

Chuck leaned in and kissed her. "We can start here." He laid down beside her and smiled when she wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned in, his kisses full of love and emotion.

They kissed for what seemed like hours until Sarah finally snapped out of her kissing haze and cried, "Chuck stop! What about Casey?"

Startled, Chuck lifted himself up onto his elbows. "What about Casey?"

"He's in the next room." Sarah got up and ran to the door.

Chuck followed. "Sarah, he's not here. He got a call about one of the sensors going off so he went to check it out."

Sarah turned around and jumped into Chuck's arms.

He carried her to the couch and sat down. He didn't want their make out session to be interrupted so although he continued kissing her he remembered to draw the line before it got out of hand although secretly he wished it would get out of hand because he was dying to make love to Sarah again.

When they finally drew apart Sarah settled in his warm embrace the she noticed Chuck's file on the table. She sat up and grabbed it.

Chuck rubbed her back as she glanced through the file. She came across the picture of her and Chuck and the image that was circled. When she examined it more closely she was immediately taken back to her red test and an image of a woman, the silhouette of the woman in the mine earlier and the feeling of being watched.

Chuck sat up as he saw the look on her face. "What is it?"

Sarah sat back with the photo.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Chuck, maybe I have!"


	9. Chapter 9

**So here is the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and visits. I am well over 1000 hits thanks to you all – I hope that this story is keeping you entertained. Thanks again goes out to MRW for her willingness and assistance on this story – even under the weather and different time zones - SO THANKYOU! **

**I DON'T OWN CHUCK – I keep telling you that but no one is listening to me..**

**CHAPTER 9**

_**The past is a present**_

**(The follow chapter is the back story of Chuck n Sarah and how their past events came to shaping their future)**

Sarah tossed and turned in her sleep reliving the dream from her childhood. It was the same one every time only this time she saw the man with her dad holding a sign:

Laura and Jack welcomed the man into their home. Lisa only knew him as Stephen, her mom's friend from Berkley. She remembered her mom telling her that Stephen had transferred to Stanford in his senior year but that they'd kept in touch over the years. They mostly met with Stephen when he was in town. He was a scientist but Lisa's mom would always say that he was much, much more.

Stephen walked up to Lisa who was sat looking out of the garage window. "If I knew that you were going to be home I would have brought my son Charles. I think that you two are around the same age. He's seven and a half and you are ...?"

Lisa turned to look at him. "I've just turned nine."

"That's right, your parents told me you've just had a birthday. I'll try to remember to bring Charles next time I come over. He's with his big sister at home with a care giver."

"Stephen?" Laura called from the kitchen.

"Are you coming?" Stephen asked Lisa as he turned to walk into the house.

Lisa nodded and followed him inside. She went into the living room adjacent to the kitchen and sat by the window overlooking the garden.

"Is it getting easier? I mean with Mary being gone all the time?"

"She's been gone longer this time and I get the feeling that one of these days she's not going to come back. One of these days that call will not bring her home."

Laura walked over to Stephen and rubbed his arm, a gesture that her daughter would one day inherit although Lisa would never know that it came from her mother. "I know being married to a spy is hard and you know yourself what a spy's life can bring you. One of these days you or I will be called and that too may be our last as well."

"I know!" Stephen picked up the coffee cup that she'd set down in front of him, took a sip and sighed as he watched Lisa sitting by the window. "It has to be easier for them."

Laura followed Stephen's gaze smiling at her daughter.

Jack entered the house wiping his hands on a rag. "Is it time?"

"I don't think she's ready for this. She's only nine."

Jack walked up to his wife. "We've talked about this. If we don't act now who knows what will happen if Cygnus gets off the planning room floor. We're all doomed. If Stephen's research proves that the mind can be unlocked and a human can upload files like a computer who knows what good it can do, how many lives it could save if a chosen few had this gift. Chatter has been brewing indicating that if the rumour is true and if the wrong people find out about the intersect and its capabilities who knows what trouble will transpire. By giving the knowledge to the real CIA it might have a chance of surviving and become something big then our fears and secrets won't have been hidden in vain and our children can grow up in a peaceful society."

"I agree," Stephen replied. "I just don't want Ellie and Charles living a life where they have to dodge in and out of the shadows and would be constantly looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives."

"That's why it's so important to inform our kids now so that if our plans ever fall into the wrong hands they're prepared for it. That's all I'm saying." Jack looked at Laura. "I don't want my child, our child, to become a spy or have anything to do with the spy world let alone be conned out of their birthright."

Stephen nodded. Their plan was to tell Lisa first then Charles but they were all agreed that each child would only get enough information to keep them safe.

"Lisa honey, come in the kitchen. Your dad and I want to talk to you."

Lisa joined them at the kitchen table looking anxious. Her parents had told her many times that one day she would have to learn a secret that should would need to keep safe for as long as she could. If she ever had to tell someone it had to be someone she trusted completely.

Stephen told Lisa a story about a prophecy that had the Chinese people believing that a White Tiger from the west would come and protect the people of the world. The prophecy also told about a warrior who had many lives. One life was that of a White Swan whose actions of the heart would silence the evils of the world. He would use his knowledge of the mind to eliminate evil and would one day team up with the White Tiger. If the Swan ever had to save the life of the White Tiger she would be forever grateful, the world would be balanced and all foes of evil would crumble and die leaving those who were destined to reign forever in love.

Lisa listened to Stephen and her dad tell the story while her mother held her tight. One day she would have to protect the world. Her gift would not only keep her safe but the world as well. Lisa wasn't keen on being the one to save the world but when she looked at her parents she knew that it was a definite possibility in her future.

When he was finished telling the story Stephen stood up to go tell his son Charles the same story.

Jack clamped his hand on Stephen's shoulder. "Would you like us to go with you to tell Charles the story."

"No thanks, I need to do this myself plus it might be a little intimidating if Charles has to hear from three adults that he may one day be destined to save the world. I need to tread lightly with my son. He's a very sensitive little guy, sometimes he cares too much."

Laura walked with Jack to the door. "Will that be a problem?"

"No. He's like his mother. Sensitive but determined. That's one of the reasons why Mary is so good at her job. It's what makes her a great spy. Charles will learn to use the gifts he's been given even if he doesn't understand the reasons and Lisa will help him fulfill this prophecy. Next time I visit I'll bring Charles with me so that he can meet Lisa."

Jack opened the door and watched Stephen get into his car and drive off. He walked back into the living room watching his wife and daughter playing with Lisa's dolls. He opened his mouth to speak but Laura caught his eye and quickly shook her head. Jack sat down next to them. He missed these moments especially when Laura was off on her 'business trips' and he was left at home looking after Lisa. He recalled the first time that he and Lisa had to do their 'pretending' as Jack liked to call it. Laura had left on a business trip and got in over her head. She hadn't known who to call on such short notice so she called her husband. Jack had to con several business men out of millions in order for Laura to get enough intel to send to the CIA. She and Jack knew it was dangerous but they had bills to play and the CIA wasn't willing to help them out either so one thing led to another and Jack continued to con to make ends meet.

Café in Willowgrove County, California

Laura cradled a sleepy Lisa in her lap as she and Jack sat drinking coffee. "You should have joined the CIA then we wouldn't have to sneak around like this and Lisa wouldn't have to be pulled out of school, leave her friends and her grandparents."

Jack shook his head. "You know how I feel about the CIA. Look what it did to Stephen and Mary. I refuse to let that happen to us."

"But what about Lisa?"

"What about her?"

Laura ran her hand over her daughter's soft blonde hair. "She's too young to live this life or to be involved in this kind of lifestyle."

"We're preparing her to fulfill her destiny," Jack insisted.

"Are we?" Laura wasn't as sure about that anymore.

Jack caressed his wife's hand. "Yes we are and one day she'll appreciate the sacrifices we've made for her."

"Just one more time and she's out and your out," Laura told him. "Then we can be that family again."

**One week later ...**

Lisa rode her bike through the small country town, whistling and enjoying her ride. Her job was to ride and 'pretend' to fall when the armoured truck started to move. She cycled in front of the truck and shrieked when the driver slammed on his brakes.

Never in a million years did Jack think that the truck would actually hit Lisa.

Laura couldn't go and check on her daughter because she was being watched so she fled the scene.

Jack ran over to Lisa and his heart almost broke when he saw that she was really hurt. He told everyone he was a doctor then picked his daughter up and placed her in the backseat of his car before speeding off down the road. When he saw Lisa lying beside the bags of money he'd grabbed from the truck he knew it was over. He drove straight to the hospital who confirmed that Lisa had broken her right arm. They put a cast on it and he stopped to buy her a double scoop of Rocky Road ice cream before taking her back to the hotel.

Lisa sat on her bed eating her ice cream. "Mom's not coming home, is she?"

It pained Jack to admit the truth to his daughter but after what had happened today he knew he had to come clean with her. He sat down and put his arms around her. "Your mom needs to stay away for a while. Her last meeting didn't go so well so she needs to work harder to try and make things right. I don't know when she'll be back. It's just going to be you and me for a while kiddo. I'm going to take you to visit your Grandma in San Diego while I go to Wyoming to tie up a few loose ends but I'll be back before you know it."

Lisa snuggled into her dad's arms until she finished her ice cream cone then she fell asleep. That was the last time she and her dad ever spent any quality time together.

**Senior Year of High School, 1998**

Lisa drove home from school to find her house surrounded by CIA agents and the local police. She remembered her dad telling her that if 'that day' ever came she had to run and never look back so she headed for the hills where she knew her dad had left her a care package. She dug the box out of the ground and tears fell on her cheeks when she saw that it was packed full of money with a note that read 'for emergencies'. As she refolded the note she heard someone coming so she grabbed her knife preparing to tackle her assailant. Her mom had trained her well. She was her mother's daughter after all. When she heard a branch snap on her left she swung round and hurled her knife at the object emerging from the tress. The knife missed and landed in the tree inches from the man's head. She looked up and saw a tall African American man staring at the knife.

He pulled the knife out of the tree trunk and held it out to her. "Nice shot."

Lisa stood up clutching the box of money to her chest as she stared at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"I'm not here for the money. I'm here to offer you a better life, if you're interested."

Lisa listened to the man intrigued but still cautious.

"I see that your parents trained you well but the CIA can do even better. I've been watching you and your dad for a while now. I guess you know by now that he's in custody otherwise you wouldn't have come for the box. I arrested your father to protect him. Too many people are looking for him and your mom. Fortunately, I got to him first. I can help you too if you let me."

"How?"

He took a step towards her. "I'm Mr Langston Graham of the CIA. I noticed that you go by several different names Rebecca Frankel, Katie O'Connell ..."

"What's your point?"

"You like aliases," Mr Graham said handing her knife back to her. "How would you like to have a job where you can legally use aliases?"

"I'm listening."

"The CIA will train you to be the best that you can be. We'll look after you, pay for you to go to Harvard. We'll give you the life you've always dreamed of having."

"And what do I have to do in return?"

"Be the best that you can be. It's that simple. You must be hungry. Let me buy you some dinner and we can discuss this further."

Lisa knew she had nothing to lose so she went with him to a nearby diner knowing that if she accepted his offer her life would never be the same again.

Langston Graham sat opposite Lisa in one of the booths. "Order whatever you like."

Lisa scanned the menu and decided on a pizza with no olives. She had lived on burgers for so long she was craving something different. Graham ordered steak and a baked potato. When their meal arrived they sat quietly eating as the diner bustled with excitement of local teens and families enjoying a night out. Lisa missed her family time especially after her mom had left. There was no explanation as to why she'd left except for the excuse her dad had given her of her mom having to work but that had been years ago and she'd never came back.

Graham took a sip of his coffee while Lisa downed another chocolate shake. "Have you heard of a place called The Farm?"

Lisa looked up at him. "I'm assuming that you don't mean 'farm' in the conventional sense of the word so no I haven't heard of it."

"Smart girl," Graham said smiling at her. "As you know I work for the CIA and it's my job to recruit young men and women who I think have a promising future ahead of them. As I have said, I've been watching you and your dad for a long time and you seem like a very smart and capable young woman. I also know that you used to work with your mom."

Lisa sat up straight in her seat suddenly a lot more interested in what he was saying. "What about my mom? Where is she?"

"I have no idea but I do know that she trained you well. You've also learned some excellent skills from your father. The CIA will hone those skills and teach how to use them to save people's lives and make the world a safer place to live in."

"You're seriously offering me a job?"

"Yes," he replied. "I'd like to train you as a field operative."

She laughed but it didn't fall on deaf ears.

"Lisa, I believe that you can make a difference in your life and that your future can be anything you want it to be. And your past, well you can learn from it. Your past will help shape your future."

"What do I have to do?"

Graham reached into his pocket and pulled out the file he had on Lisa. It contained all the cons she'd been involved in with her dad, all her alias, the schools she'd attended, her medical records with the last known visit to the hospital when she broke her arm when she was ten. Lisa scanned her file, closed it again and slid it back across the table towards Graham. "Where do we start?"

"How about your name? You're good at names. I think you should have a new name for the new life you're about to embark on. Do you have anything in mind?"

Lisa sat back to think of a name that she could live with. She'd had so many fake names that at times she forgot who she really was but she always resorted to the ones that made her feel safe. There were two names that she'd held onto. Two names that made her feel normal even when she wasn't able to be normal. Her Grandma always called her by her first name and her parents called her by her middle name unless she was in trouble then they used both names. She looked up at Graham and decided on Sarah Lisa Walker. She wanted to keep some of her old self so Sarah Lisa Burton was gone and Sarah Lisa Walker was born.

The beginning of the end

Cheryl Hanson quietly snuck into the bedroom intent on telling her bunk mate what she'd overheard. No sooner had she closed the door when she was attacked by Sarah who jumped her from behind.

When Sarah recognized Cheryl she dropped down off her back and turned on the light. "What the hell are you doing sneaking around in the dark Hanson?"

"Relax Walker," Cheryl whispered. "I don't want to wake the others."

"Well they would have woken up if you'd screamed bloody murder!" Sarah snorted. "What's going on?"

Cheryl took a few deep breaths and relayed to Sarah what she'd overheard two officers discussing in the mess.

"They're giving me the boot?" Sarah asked hardly able to believe that her time at the Farm was coming to an end. It was the first place that had felt like home in a long time and she thought she'd done a pretty good job during her training so she couldn't understand what the problem was.

"It sounded like that but I can't be sure because I only heard half of the conversation. I was asked to tell you to report to Lieutenant Richard's office at 09h00."

Two hours later Sarah tapped on the door of the Lieutenant's office and when it opened she was met by the one man she trusted as much as her father.

Langston Graham smiled at her. "Come in Sarah, it's been a long time."

"Three years to be exact," she said smiling back at him as she walked into the office.

Graham sat down behind the desk. "How have you been?"

"Never better but I guess I have you to thank for that." Sarah walked over to the window and sat on the ledge. "To what do I owe this honour?"

"I have a mission for you and only you." Graham handed Sarah the file which had The Cygnus Project written on it. She opened it.

"This project has been re-opened after 20 years. Why?"

"That's what I want you to find out. You'll pose as a new employee at a company called Fornax which is a fake front accounting firm who we believe are covering up an underground mining operation. We believe that there are large amounts of copper being mined and distributed to a group of people who are not CIA. I need you to keep your eyes and ears open for anything that sounds or looks out of the norm. You'll go undercover as Abbi Levinsworth, a financial advisor, to a million dollar firm out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Your alias will have you becoming one of the richest woman under 30 to make millions for this company. You'll capture the attention of Fornax and send us your findings. If we get enough intel you're out. Some rumors have surfaced about The Cygnus Project that if it gets off the ground the world will be sorry so you need to make sure that doesn't happen."

Sarah closed the file and nodded. "When do I leave?"

Graham looked at her. "Walker there's one more thing that I need you to do." He stepped from behind his desk and handed her a blue package, its contents containing the thing most CIA agents dreaded; instructions to dispose of someone. "You're the only one I can trust with this. This person needs to be stopped before Cygnus is ever resurrected."

Sarah glanced at the file and picture then walked out of Graham's office and left the Farm. Her instructions were clear. Head to Santa Apolónia train station in Lisbon, Portugal, locate Kathy Shaw who reportedly catches a cab at the same time each day in Largo do Regedor, a narrow street near the train station. Identifying features: Middle aged woman with black hair who always carried a brown bag with gold stars on it.

**Midnight near Lisbon's Train Station**

Sarah waited in the shadows. The fog from the river engulfed the landscape making it harder to see who was coming and going. She heard the chug of the train as it slowed and pulled into the station. As local residents and vacationers exited the train she took one last look at the picture then shoved it back into her pocket when she saw Kathy Shaw exit the train and head towards Largo do Regedor. She kept her distance so as not to alert the target to her presence. When she saw her opening Sarah raised her gun.

The fog encircled Kathy as a faint light of the nearby street light lit the area. Sarah released the safety on her gun and pulled the trigger. The moment she fired she heard another shot ring out and dropped to the ground. She waited for a few moments. When silence ensued she looked up and saw a woman running in the opposite direction carrying a gun. She ran over to Kathy to check her pulse. Nothing. When she heard sirens in the distance she made a run for it then rang Graham to confirm that the target had been eliminated but didn't elaborate on how the mission had been accomplished because she wasn't sure if it was her bullet or the mystery woman's bullet that had killed Kathy Shaw.

Sarah sat down at an outdoor café reliving the night's events. She was on her second cup of coffee heading for her third when she came to the realization that she didn't like herself very much. She liked the adventures that came with being a CIA agent but she didn't think she would ever get used to killing people. Had she killed Kathy Shaw? Her aim had been spot on so she probably had but she couldn't be sure. What if it was the mystery woman who had eliminated the target? What if the mystery woman had been shooting at her and not Kathy? Had Graham sent the mystery woman because he didn't think she could complete her mission? Surely if he thought she hadn't eliminated the target he would have recalled her by now and asked for her badge. Sarah didn't know what to think anymore.

Los Angeles 1988

Stephen packed the station wagon and hooked up the trailer. He knew that he had to tell Chuck the prophecy but he had to tread lightly because his son was a very sensitive little guy. Like his mother he tended to take everyone's problems as his own. He cared too much and sometimes it got him into a little trouble. He'd tried to protect his best friend Morgan from school bullies and he was very protective of his big sister even when it was her job to protect him. Stephen knew that the best place to tell Chuck about the prophecy was under the stars. His son had a fascination with the stars; he loved astronomy and anything to do with puzzles and hieroglyphics. Chuck also loved Tron and it hadn't surprised Stephen in the slightest when his son memorized the entire movie.

When they arrived at the site they set up camp. Ellie had stayed at home because being a teenager and all she wasn't too keen on the idea of spending a weekend with her dad and nerdy little brother.

They decided to sleep under the stars so Stephen got Chuck settled in his sleeping bag and they lay side by side watching the dark starlit sky. Stephen told Chuck all about the milky way, big and little dipper, and they saw a shooting star. They pretended that they had landed in a galaxy far, far away. Chuck and his dad were like Kevin and Sam Flynn in the movie Tron.

Then next morning Chuck awoke to the smell of pancakes. He loved his dad's pancakes. After his mom left pancakes were the last thing that they had as a family. For Chuck pancakes were not only food but comfort as well. As he sat fishing with his dad Chuck hoped that they could spend the night under the stars again but on the way back to camp it started raining. The rain never lifted so Chuck and his dad camped out in the trailer. It was a 1948 silver Airstream Overland and Chuck liked to pretend that it was a space shuttle and he was the pilot.

Stephen was very proud of his son's imagination, kindness, sincerity and how he had recovered after accidentally uploaded an experimental intersect file. He tucked Chuck in his sleeping bag and sat down beside him.

"Dad can you tell me a story?"

Stephen nodded. "Son, I'm going to tell you a story that is about you and your future. This story can have a happy ending, just like in Tron - remember when Kevin gradually discovererd that as a User he could command the physical laws of the computer world enabling him to do feats which gave him and his allies a decisive edge in their quest? You too will overcome obstacles that will change the history of the world.

Chuck laid back and listened to his father tell the same story he'd told Lisa Burton.

Stephen regarded his son. "Do you have any questions?"

Chuck looked at his dad. "So I have to meet a girl?"

Stephen hugged his son. He didn't want to push him any further. It was a lot to take in but in time Chuck would understand. When he fell asleep Stephen sat in vigil watching his son. He knew that he had to leave his children soon to go look for his wife. She had been gone too long and he feared the worse but first he had to make sure Chuck and Ellie were safe. Ellie was about to finish High School and would be off to medical school soon so he knew she would take care of her little brother. Chuck and Ellie had each other and he'd always taught them that nothing was more important than family.

The following week Chuck and Stephen drove down to the Burton's place in San Diego. Chuck had never been that far south but he loved the ocean breeze on his face. His dad turned up the radio when his favorite band came on. Chuck was beginning to like this Canadian band – Rush. His dad always told him the truth was in the lyrics. He remembered spending time with his dad in his office listening to Rush while he read his comics and drew his favorite superheroes.

Stephen drove into the sparse driveway and parked next to a '64 Falcon. Chuck undid his seat belt and crawled out of the back seat. They had made good time as the sun was still shining. They walked round to the back of the house and Laura and Jack came out to greet them.

"Laura and Jack I'd like you to meet my son Charles but you can call him Chuck."

Jack shook Chuck's little hand. "Nice to meet you."

Laura smiled at him. "You're a very handsome little fellow."

Chuck saw a blonde haired girl, a little taller than him, come out of the tree house. He'd noticed the tree house as soon as he'd climbed out of the car.

Jack made the introductions. "Charles, this is our daughter Lisa." He turned his daughter. "Lisa, this is Charles."

Lisa hovered next to her dad because people she didn't know made her uncomfortable.

Laura invited Stephen and Chuck inside. They sat down at the table and Chuck sat on his dad's lap. Laura and Jack were the greatest of hostesses. They had made a lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches which made Chuck very happy. He didn't know that Stephen had told them it was his son's favorite meal.

After they'd eaten Chuck jumped off his dad's lap to go and sit beside Lisa. He was surprised that a girl liked tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches but he figued that she probably didn't like pizza and comic books. She probably didn't even know who Superman was. He liked that she had a really cool tree house.

Chuck and Lisa excused themselves and headed outside to play.

Lisa crawled up the ladder to her tree house. She looked down and saw Chuck still standing on the ground. "Well are you coming up?"

Chuck didn't have to be asked twice. He climbed up the ladder and walked into the tree house surprised to find that it wasn't too girly. It had all sorts of things including gadgets, toys and even comic books – well Spy versus Spy is technically a comic but not like Superman or Batman. He sat down and grabbed one of the Spy versus Spy comics.

Chuck looked up at Lisa. "Do you like comics?"

"They're ok but I prefer reading mystery books and watching cop shows in TV. Comics just fill the time up here. If I had my way I would have a TV in here."

Chuck nodded. "Do you like music?"

Lisa shook her head. "Not really. I just listen to whatever my parents listen to. I'm not a fan really."

Chuck was surprised that Lisa didn't like music. He had been a fan of music since he could remember.

Lisa and Chuck heard the screen door open. When they peeked out of the little window in the tree house they saw their parents setting up for a BBQ. The burgers were already done and the patio lanterns were lit. They went down to get some food then took it back up to the tree house and sat dangling their feet over the edge as they ate their burgers.

Laura, Jack and Stephen sat at the picnic table.

"So what do you think is going on up there?" Jack asked motioning to the tree house.

"It's hard to say," Stephen replied. "Chuck hasn't come down to say he's bored."

"And Lisa hasn't come down either to say that Chuck has cooties."

They all laughed.

"Maybe we're worrying for nothing," Laura said. "Maybe our children won't have to keep the world safe. If the files aren't found then no one, including our children, will have to keep them safe."

"Maybe," Stephen conceded. "Mary hasn't called and I'm getting worried about her. Like I said the last time I was here she usually isn't gone this long and the CIA has had no contact from her. It's like she's just vanished. Who knows who will be next." He looked at Laura. "You? ... Me? We don't know and we can't take that chance. If one of us goes any time soon the wheels will be set in motion and whoever is still around needs to make sure that our children are safe even if it's 20 years down the road. We need to protect them at all costs. We all agree, right?"

Laura and Jack looked at each other then back at Stephen. "Yes!" They both chimed.

"We will do what we have to to protect our children."

Laura spoke first. "Stephen, the files are secure right?"

"Yes, I have hidden them with in the CIA's back logs. No one will find them for a very long time and hopefully never. If these files fall into the wrong hands our hopes for a safe society will never be realized."

Jack leaned forward. "And these files do what again?"

"The files that Laura, Mary and I created allow an agent to download important files from the CIA on any topic/person or intel and use that information to bring down any bad guy or threat to the USA and other countries. We called it the human intersect. I have downloaded it and so far have had no side effects. Charles accidentally downloaded a sample upload and he hasn't had any side effects either. Our children are smart and what they know won't make sense to anyone but them. If the worse happens Chuck and Lisa will have to decipher the cryptogram that Mary has hidden and Laura you will hide the key that unlocks the codes. Jack, you just make sure that you helping us doesn't get you into trouble. We can't afford to get caught or put in jail."

"What about Kovac?" Laura asked.

"Kovac and his brother will just have to deal with it," Stephen replied. "I don't think that they know the importance of this project. I fear that if they do eventually get the support they need they will do whatever they can to make sure our lives are miserable. It's unlikely that they will have access to these files in their lifetime."

It was getting late and they hadn't heard from Chuck and Lisa for a while so Jack climbed up the ladder and looked inside the tree house. Chuck and Lisa were asleep with comic books and cheezies scattered all over the floor. He leaned back and whispered, "Their both out so I'll just let them sleep." He climbed down the ladder and smiled. "They look so peaceful. I'm surprised that Lisa is actually sleeping."

"I'm surprised that Chuck is sleeping," Stephen replied. "He hasn't been a good sleeper either of late."

"Maybe our kids are their very own security blankets," Laura remarked.

"That could be," Stephen said. "Or maybe our kids are destined to be together. Stranger things have happened."

**The next day….**

Chuck and Lisa were inseparable for the rest of the weekend. They went biking, played in the tree house, pretended they were spies and colored. Lisa picked up a random piece of wood that was leaning against the side wall. She grabbed some paints that her dad had given her and Chuck got started on creating some signs mainly to prevent their parents from entering the tree house, but he decided to write something he'd read because it sounded cool. He painted the letters and turned the board around. "Hey Lisa, check this out!" He showed her the board which read, '_Nerds only. Enter at your own risk'._

Lisa smiled at him. "I like that one Chuck." She got up, grabbed a nail and hammer and climbed down the ladder.

Chuck followed her.

Lisa grabbed the hammer and nail and asked Chuck to hold the board as she nailed it to the side of the tree then she stood back to admire her handy work as she read the sign. "Nerds only. Enter at your own risk.' I guess I am nerd."

"I guess we all are," Chuck replied.

Chuck and Lisa climbed back up the ladder and sat looking down at their parents.

Lisa looked at Chuck. "So you leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah, my dad needs to get back and we need to pick up my sister. She's at sleepover."

"Do you come up to LA?"

"No, I have never been to LA," Chuck replied. "Do you like school?"

"I'm not in school really. My parents go on lots of business trips so I usually go with them and being so close to school ending for the summer they thought it would be easier to drop out. Do you like school?"

"Yeah, I like science and math."

"You are a nerd."

Chuck smiled.

Lisa looked up when she heard the music start up.

Chuck scooted over to Lisa and looked down to see her parents dancing to their favourite band RUSH. "Our parents are weird."

"Yeah they are," Lisa agreed. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Uh no, I'm only 7 ½ . Why would I want one?"

"Just asking," Lisa replied. "If you did have a girlfriend what would she be like?"

Chuck shrugged. "I don't know – like you?"

"Why me?"

"Cause I don't know any other girl besides my sister and my mom and your mom and they don't count so that leaves you."

"Sounds fair," Lisa replied. "So will you be my boyfriend? I mean when we get older."

"Sure." Chuck grabbed a handful of cheezies along with his comic.

They sat side by side watching their parents down below.

Casa Bartowski 2003

Chuck had been working at the Buy More for 2 years after his best friend got him kicked out of Stanford. His whole world, along with his heart, was in pieces when he had to phone his sister to tell her that he was coming home. He could still recall the hurt in his sister's voice when he'd told her. Being the older sister she reminded him that things will eventually work out and that there is a reason for everything. Sometimes we don't know why things happen to good people but what we do with it – is what makes us great.

Chuck wasn't in the partying mood, even after his sister planned his birthday party. He tried to mingle but ended up in his room pondering life. After his best friend Morgan went home he checked the email that he'd received from his so-called best friend Bryce Larkin. He pressed enter and what followed changed his life forever.

**Chapter 10 will resume where we left off in chapter 8 – I thought that it was important to add this chapter to get an sense on where my head is going for the next few chapters as I wrap this story up. Thanks again for all who get excited like me when they see a story alert pop up – and you know who you are ;)**

16


	10. Chapter 10

Many thanks to my fans lol funny and interesting that I have fans. Since I started writing this story I have had the honours of having over 10, 000 + read this story so THANKYOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO READ THIS STORY. Also a 1000 thank you's go out to MRW for her extra time, support and encouragement with this chapter and story – her guidance has helped shape this interesting story.

**As we say good bye to 5 years of CHUCK it's been a great ride,**

**and you won't be forgotten .**

**I don't own CHUCK even after 5 years but**

**secretly I wished that I did. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 10 - Voices carry and ghosts talk**

Chuck bolted upright and stared at the picture Sarah was holding. "What do you mean you think that you have seen a ghost? Who's in the picture? Do you recognize the person?"

"I'm not sure," Sarah admitted. "She kind of looks familiar but the image isn't the best, right?"

"Yes but who does this person remind you of?"

Sarah didn't want to admit who she thought it could be because the person had been removed from her life a long time ago. It was an almost forgotten memory until now. She stood up.

Chuck followed suit. When he realized that she didn't want to tell him who she thought the person was he pushed a little harder. "Do you think that this person knows about you? About us?"

"I can't say, really," Sarah replied. She knew enough to be able to ward off Chuck's questions ... at least for a little while ... and maybe she could bide her time until she could answer her own question. She turned to him. "It's getting late. We need to head back into the mine tomorrow to figure out where the key goes so we should probably get some sleep."

Chuck wrapped his arms around Sarah and kissed the top of her head then leaned back to look at her.

Sarah stood on her tippy toes and kissed him. None of their kisses were ever long enough but it was all they had for now.

Chuck released Sarah and smiled at her. "Do you need someone to tuck you in?"

She ran her hands down his chest. "If you only knew how much."

"Well then maybe I need to put up a sign saying do not disturb or …"

Sarah chuckled. "Or better yet, how about a sign that says '_Nerds only. Enter at your own risk."_

Chuck laughed. "Goodnight babe, sleep tight."

"You too Chuck, sweet dreams," Sarah replied before walking back into the bedroom and closing the door.

Chuck shook his head as he walked over to the couch thinking that it was funny to hear Sarah use the phrase, '_Nerds only. Enter at your own risk.' _He hadn't heard that saying since he was a kid. He settled himself on the couch and quickly succumbed to sleep and it seemed like moments later when someone caressed his face. He thought he was dreaming until the image came into focus and he saw an angel in the presence of one Sarah Walker.

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good morning sweetie."

"Good morning," he replied looking around the room then back at her. "Why are you so chipper this morning?"

"No reason."

"Where's Casey?"

"Gone to get some breakfast and gas up the truck. He said he was tired of the girlyness in the room. I'm not sure what he meant by that."

Chuck gave her a twisted smile then sat up and took her in his arms and kissed her good morning. "I like waking up like this."

Sarah nestled her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "Me too."

After breakfast the team sat around the table discussing their next steps. They had to find out what the key opened and why the crate had contained a globe and the drawings. They were convinced that the mine had the answers to their questions.

Casey had a map that gave them some idea of the layout of the mine. "When I checked the sensor that went off last night I came across an address for a warehouse. It's one I'm familiar with from when I was stationed in Vientiane (Laos) back in the day. It's an abandoned warehouse that once stored provisions for the war efforts in '68. I think we should check it out before we head home. Any clues right now are better than none."

"You're right Casey, we need to check it out," Chuck replied. "Did you manage to get anything on video? I mean anything from the entrance to the mine shaft?"

Casey directed his gaze to Sarah then back to Chuck."No, the video feed didn't pick up anything. We could try again today to see if anything comes up."

Sarah secretly sighed with relief. If her suspicions were correct then she didn't want Chuck and Casey finding any proof until she saw this person with her own eyes.

Chuck noticed Sarah's demeanour change and wondered what she was thinking. He was tempted to ask her but didn't because he knew he had to trust her to come to him when she was ready.

A while later Chuck and Sarah followed Casey into the mine. It was eerily quiet as they crept toward the main area of the mine which they knew could only mean two things – everyone was working or they weren't alone.

Casey took out the map again and crouched down.

Sarah and Chuck followed suit.

"If we head north we should end up at a set of export cargo bins. They were locked yesterday so I didn't have time to check them out." He looked at Sarah. "You checked the office?

"Yes," she replied.

"Good then that leaves us with what I'm assuming are the sleeping quarters," Casey chided.

"But where is the manufacturing area? If this is a mine then where does the copper go?" Chuck inquired stretching upwards to see if he could flash on anything. He turned to his left and looked up then followed the four inch metal piping that he thought could store the flow of water then he noticed heavy wire strapped alongside in a parallel formation running east and west. He crouched down again. "Hey guys, see up there?" He pointed to the water pipes and heavy wire. "In order to melt copper you need a lot of energy. Copper is a source of heat and electricity. By smelting the raw copper the heat allows it to change its chemical makeup. If Fornax is using copper they need a lot of energy and water to cool it to make it more manageable. If we follow the direction of the piping I'm sure it will lead us to the manufacturing area. We entered from the south so we know that it's not back there. I think we need to head either east or west. As I recall, there was a large manmade reservoir east of here so I'm guessing that the water flows west ... that is the only direction not covered besides heading north."

Sarah and Casey looked at Chuck then Casey said, "You might be right but time is of essence so you and Sarah head east and I'll go north. Eventually the tunnels will meet." He stood up. "Call me on the radio if you run into any trouble."

Sarah turned around and headed east with Chuck following closely behind her. She looked at him over her shoulder. "Stay close."

Chuck nodded. He had no intention of taking his life for granted or ending up getting shot again.

Sarah and Chuck guarded their every step scanning the area for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.

Chuck tapped Sarah's shoulder. "I think we're close."

She nodded in agreement.

Their next turn took them into a very large open area that looked like a big oven. To their right sat a huge tank that Chuck assumed held the water. Conveyor belts covered the length of the area together with chains and hooks that dangled from some of the beams up above.

Chuck looked at Sarah. "This mine looks like it hasn't been active for years but if that's the case then where did all the people go?"

Sarah looked around. "I don't know Chuck but they had to go somewhere. Klinger said that Kovac wanted something in here so maybe those workers are working for him and he didn't want Klinger to find out about it. I'm not sure Klinger knows what he's talking about. I mean all Casey got from him was a hunch that something was in here. There's no proof besides the key and we still don't know if it unlocks anything of importance,"

she said walking around the ovens.

Chuck followed her. "The raw copper used to come down the conveyor belt then get melted down. It could get really hot in here when things were in a busy state."

Chuck's knowledge about absolutely everything impressed Sarah. She caressed his arm and smiled.

Chuck was so busy trying to entertaining Sarah as they walked around the area that he failed to see her trying to get his attention. He didn't notice the two burly men who grabbed Sarah and held a gun to her head. "Hey Sarah did you know that this mine is the second largest next to the one found in…" When he turned around mid-sentence someone hit from behind and he fell to the ground.

Sarah screamed and struggled to get free as one of the men dragged her off.

Sarah's screams echoed throughout the mine grabbing Casey's attention. He immediately turned around and retraced his steps to see what had happened.

When Chuck finally came round he was chained to a beam and dangling a few inches off the ground.

Sarah was chained to the beam next to him. "Chuck, are you ok?"

Groggy, he swung around to look at Sarah. "Why do they always have to go for the back of the head?" When he focused on her he saw that she'd taken a few licks herself. "You ok?"

"Yeah, but you should see the other guy." Sarah tried to laugh.

Chuck could tell that she had taken more of a beating than she was letting on. "So where are we?"

"I'm not sure," Sarah admitted. "As far as I can tell they hit you then dragged us both behind those cargo bins but then it got darker and we ended up here. They tried to chain you up but not before they got what was coming to them."

Chuck smirked at her. "Saving me, are we?"

"Well I guess it's my turn after all you saved me in Columbia."

Chuck gave Sarah a smile. "We'll get through this. You know I want to spend the rest of my life with you far away from this spy life."

Sarah's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You want to marry me?"

Chuck quickly tried to recover. "Gosh no! That's not what I meant." When he noticed Sarah frown he said, "Actually I do but I think we should go on a date first and get to know each other before we jump into anything more serious."

The door suddenly opened and Chuck and Sarah both thought they were seeing a ghost when they recognized the man resembling Franco Kovac. This man was tall with dark hair but he was around the same age as Chuck and Sarah which didn't make any sense because by all accounts Kovac was old enough to be their father or even grandfather.

Chuck looked at Sarah and ever so slightly shook his head.

Sarah nodded.

They both knew what the other was thinking.

The man rounded Chuck again and was walking towards Sarah when he suddenly turned around and threw a punch into Chuck's stomach.

Chuck tried to get his breath.

Sarah tried to keep her composure.

"Agent Carmichael, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've been waiting to meet you for quite a while now." The man turned to Sarah and grabbed her face. "You must be Agent Walker, your reputation precedes you." He shoved her back.

Chuck tried to come to Sarah's defence but the chains were very snug and he couldn't break free of them.

"As I recall Agent Carmichael, you were the golden boy scout. I heard what happened to Tommy. He was like a brother to me and you had him killed."

Chuck started to feel very uncomfortable. He hadn't been responsible for Tommy's death and didn't like the insinuation that he had but he knew he had to maintain his cover so he yelled, "BETTER HIM THAN US!"

"I thought you'd say that." The man punched Chuck in the face this time.

Sarah gasped when she saw blood dripping from Chuck's lower lip onto the floor.

"Sorry for upsetting you. Perhaps if I introduced myself you wouldn't feel so bad about me giving Agent Carmichael the beating he deserves. My name is Daniel Shaw."

Sarah frowned. "Never heard of you."

"I'm shocked Agent Walker but I guess my last name wouldn't ring any bells with you because it is a connection to my mother rather than my father." He stared at Sarah.

When Chuck saw Shaw about to reach for Sarah again he raised his voice. "You touch one hair on her head and it will be the last thing you ever touch!"

Shaw stared at Chuck then grabbed his hair and lifted him. "Sounds like you have feelings for Agent Walker. We can't have that, can we?"

Chuck took another shot to the gut but the person who had been watching the events unfold on the other side of the mirror had had enough.

"Enough Shaw! Leave them be." The voice came barrelling down on him just as he was about to deliver another punch to Chuck's gut.

Shaw stepped back angry that he'd been ordered to stand down. He made his exit.

The owner of the mystery voice stayed out of sight as she motioned to one of the guards to unlock Chuck and Sarah's chains.

Sarah rubbed her wrist and quickly grabbed Chuck when he was released.

Chuck and Sarah appeared to have a strong bond and that surprised the owner of the voice.

Sarah stood close to Chuck. She could have easily gone all She Male on this person but she was still reeling from the effects of her run-in with Shaw and his men.

The owner of the voice spoke again. "Would you like anything? Do you want to sit down?"

Both Chuck and Sarah refused. When the person behind the voice sat down they caught a glimpse of a shadow.

"Maybe 'The man' is a woman?" Chuck whispered to Sarah then he directed his attention to the person still lurking in the shadows. "If you're going to get kill us then just do it. If you're playing a game of cat and mouse trying to make us think that we're going to be freed then you'll resort to torture then we're not buying it. Then again I'm guessing that you don't want us dead because if you did we'd be fish bait by now. So if you don't want us dead then what do you want from us?"

When the woman finally stepped into the light Sarah was shocked when she realized why the image had felt so familiar. The woman looked older and had a weathered look about her but her features were the same as the last time she'd seen her. "MOM?"

Chuck wondered if he was hearing things. _Did Sarah just call this woman mom?_

Sarah held onto Chuck's hand showing no emotion as she stared at her mom.

Laura walked over to her daughter and caressed her face. "Why Lisa? Why did it have to be you in here? It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

If someone had told Chuck what happened next he wouldn't have believed it but the fact that he was physically there made it all too real. He flashed on Sarah's mom seeing images of him camping under the stars with his dad, comic books, driving along the coast, his dad telling him stories, an old tree house and a young girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes who looked exactly like ... His eyes grew wide as recognition dawned and he gaped at Sarah. Her real name was Lisa. She was the young girl he'd met all those years ago when his dad had taken him to visit her parents. _W__hy had those memories only surfaced now? Why hadn't he known that Sarah was Lisa when he'd first met her? Why hadn't she recognized him?_ When he finally found his voice he said, "You're Lisa?"

Sarah glanced at Chuck. He had the same look on his face that he'd had when he'd found out about her and Bryce. Feeling torn between her mom and Chuck she decided that she would deal with Chuck's questions later after she'd dealt with her mom.

Laura glanced at Chuck then back at her daughter. "Lisa, why are you here?"

Sarah turned to her mom. "I could ask you the same thing! Why, after all these years, are you here alive and working for a creep like Shaw?"

Chuck sat down before his legs gave way. His whole life had been a mystery and finding out that Sarah, the woman he loved, was somehow linked, directly or indirectly, to everything that had happened to him was overwhelming.

"Your questions will be answered when the time is right," Laura told her daughter. She walked over to Chuck and sat down beside him. "It's been years Charles. You've grown into a very handsome young man. Your parents would be very proud."

Sarah placed a protective hand on Chuck's shoulder.

He looked at her. "Sarah ... Lisa ... whoever you are ... please tell me what's going on."

"Not now Chuck," she replied.

Laura didn't want anyone to find out that Lisa was her daughter so she turned her attention to the man beside her. "Charles?"

"Chuck ... you can call me Chuck."

"OK Chuck!" she replied with a brief smile. "I am sorry that you and Lisa have gotten yourselves into this mess - it wasn't suppose to happen this way."

"What wasn't supposed to happen? And how did you know that we'd be here anyway?" Sarah maintained her poker face. She'd become an expert at masking her feelings and emotions especially when it came to her mother.

"I don't have much time before Daniel comes back," Laura replied. "If you don't go now you will never get out of here alive. I will tell you all that you need to know very soon but for now you need to go. Chuck, your dad …"

"I'm taking over this operation," Shaw announced from the platform above them. "You may be my dad's right hand but this is my operation. You're free to go back to minding your own project." He directed his eyes to the ground below. "I'll make sure that these two are taken care of." He signalled to his men. "Move them."

Laura didn't want to raise Shaw's suspicions so she walked with the rest of the entourage as they led the way to a spiral staircase.

Casey came around the corner just in time to see Chuck and Sarah being taken away. He watched as the men tossed them into one of the export bins and locked them. He overheard the man in charge tell the soldiers to guard the door till he returned.

Shaw placed his arm around Laura as they walked away. "Like I said earlier, I know that my dad put you in charge but I feel that he was wrong in doing so. I know that Sarah Walker took my mother's life and it's only fair that I take hers in return although I can tell that she has feelings for Agent Carmichael so I might start with him. I want her to feel the pain that I felt when I heard about my mother's death. When my dad finds out that his wife's killer is dead nothing will stop him from creating what he's been planning for the last 20 years."

"But what about Stephen Bartowski?" Laura enquired.

"Oh him," Shaw scoffed. "That poor pathetic definition of a man. He squandered his career for love – love of science and the love of his life ... his wife. Did you know that he left his kids to find his wife?"

"No," Laura lied. She was surprised that Shaw and his dad didn't consider Stephen a threat and thanked her lucky stars that they hadn't figured out that Stephen's son was right under their noses. She knew that going against Shaw would just make the situation worse so she walked beside him trying to come up with a plan to stall things long enough for Chuck and Lisa to escape.

"I'll be back in a little while," Shaw said giving her a mock salute.

Laura watched him disappear around the corner. He'd been almost ten when she'd joined the 'family' and she was the first to admit that she didn't care for the kind of man he'd grown into. Her mission had been to obtain intel on Kathy and Franco Kovac and find out what their connection was to Cygnus. She'd discovered that the Kovacs hated Stephen Bartowski with a passion because he'd gotten the Omaha Project instead of them and they'd made it their mission to try and replicate the technology he'd invented to upload intel into the human brain. Kovac had hired scientists and engineers from several different countries to come up with a prototype that matched Stephen's invention but the project never got off the ground because the files containing all the data they needed to build it had magically disappeared. Kovac's dream had been destroyed until recently when one of his agents heading up their own branch of the CIA called Fulcrum heard that the DNI had been broken into and all the CIA's files pertaining to the intersect were downloaded into Bryce Larkin. Kovac had ordered Tommy to find Larkin because he believed that Bryce could help him create a successful version of the intersect but then Tommy had been killed, Larkin had vanished and his wife, Kathy, had been killed in Lisbon. He was convinced that Stephen Bartowski somehow had a hand in all three of those events.

Laura saw Stephen and Mary on occasion. They arranged each contact point by placing special ads in the classifieds. Stephen loved his puzzles and had come up with a code for deciphering the ads. The last time she'd met with them Laura had learned from Stephen that he'd heard via CIA channels that Cygnus had resurrected itself after 20 years and that Kathy Kovac had some intel that would bring them closer to getting Cygnus up and running successfully this time. The CIA considered Kathy a threat to national security and had ordered wild card Agent Sarah Walker to go to Lisbon and eliminate her. When Stephen had shown her a picture of the CIA agent Laura immediately recognized the woman as her daughter and knew she had to step in. She had never wanted her daughter to be part of the CIA and finding out today that Lisa and Chuck had found each other after all these years was a pleasant surprise especially seeing how close they were.

Laura waited until the coast was clear then snuck back to the cargo bins. She was just about to unhinge the lock when she felt a gun pressed against the back of her head.

"Step away from the bins slowly," Casey ordered her. When she stepped back he asked, "What are you going to do with this cargo?"

"Major Casey there's no need for violence, I'm on your side. If you would be so kind as to remove your gun from my head we can talk about this."

Shocked that the woman knew his name Casey hesitated for a second then he stepped back and kept his gun pointed at her. "Turn around slowly."

Laura did as he asked.

Casey's eyes widened in surprise when he saw an older version of none other than Sarah Walker but he said nothing. Keeping his gun pointed at her he inched towards the cargo bins and opened them.

Chuck and Sarah cautiously walked out and Sarah gasped when she saw Casey pointing his gun at her mom's head. She placed her hand on Casey's arm. "You can put your gun down, this is my mom. She's CIA."

Astounded Casey glanced from her to Chuck.

Chuck nodded.

"That mixes things up," he said lowering his arm but keeping his gun in his hand just in case there was trouble.

Laura approached her daughter and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

Sarah, who was holding Chuck's hand, stiffened but didn't pull away from her mom which Chuck figured was a small step in the right direction.

Sarah turned to Casey. "This is my mother, Laura Burton." She looked at her mom. "Mom, this is Major John Casey, my partner."

Laura smiled at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you John."

"Likewise," he replied. "So you're the one who took the pictures of Chuck and Sarah?"

"Yes." She looked at her daughter. "I had to make sure that I wasn't seeing things. We hoped that you and Chuck would one day find each other again."

Sarah frowned. "Again?"

"You mean you don't remember Chuck and his dad visiting us when you were a young girl?" When Laura saw the blank look on her daughter's face she said, "The boy in the tree house?"

_The only boy she'd ever allowed in her tree house was ..._ Sarah glanced at Chuck as memories started to surface of a younger version of him. Shocked, she looked at her mother. "Mom, what's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain it now," Laura replied. "You need to get out of here before Shaw comes back. Major Casey can I trust you to get my daughter and Chuck out of here and back to safety?"

"You're kidding, right?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Lis … Sarah you need to trust me," Laura said. "If Shaw gets a hold you you're dead. He thinks that you shot his mom in Lisbon."

Sarah was stunned. "I shot his mom? That woman was his mom?" She looked at Chuck and Casey then back to her mom just as she heard noises coming from the east. "There were two shots that night."

"I know I was there," Laura replied.

"It was your bullet that killed her," Sarah exclaimed. "It was you who ran away after my gun went off, wasn't it?"

Laura didn't confirm or deny it. Instead she said, "You need to get out of here now! I will explain what I can later." She looked at Chuck. "Charles take care of my daughter."

Chuck nodded.

"Major Casey I need you to do something for me."

"Yes ma'am," he replied "Anything."

"Knock me out."

Surprised by the request Casey glanced at Sarah unsure what to do. When she said nothing he turned back to Laura. "I can't hit you ma'am."

"Major if they find me standing here after you've left they'll get suspicious. If you leave a trail of bodies in your wake then whatever excuse I give them to explain why Chuck and Sarah escaped will hold up."

Still Casey hesitated. "Ma'am I ..."

"You have no choice soldier! Now hit me!"

Casey walked over to Laura. "Please forgive me!"

"Don't need to, just protect my daughter and Charles please!"

Casey looked at her then as gracefully as he could knocked her out with the butt of his gun. He caught her in his arms and carefully laid her down on the ground the he looked at Chuck and Sarah. "Let's go!"

Sarah went to follow him then hesitated and looked back at her mom lying on the ground.

"Sarah we have to ," Chuck said tugging on her hand.

A single tear rolled down Sarah's cheek. What did the tear represent? Tears were not a commodity that were used often.

"Sarah?"

She looked at Chuck then nodded. "Let's go."

When they finally exited the mine they jumped into the truck and barely had time to close their doors before Casey pulled away with screeching tires as he raced to get out of the area before Shaw and his men could catch up with them.

Chuck leaned back against the seat and glanced at Sarah.

Sarah stared out of the window trying to comprehend what had happened over the last few hours. _Her mom had killed the woman who had been her red test. Her mom was still alive. The most devastating secret that had been revealed was the fact that she had apparently met Chuck when they were kids. _She wasn't sure if she trusted her mom or the things she'd told her._ If she'd met Chuck years ago why hadn't she remembered him?_

Tears sprang to her eyes and she quickly wiped them away.

Casey glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Sarah wipe her eyes. He knew this wasn't the time for a spy partner talk but that of a friend. "Don't worry Walker, we'll find the answers you're looking for."

She gave him a watering smile. "Thanks Casey."

It was at times like this that Chuck found it difficult to keep their relationship a secret. He wanted to hold Sarah and tell her that everything was going to be ok but he couldn't.

Casey parked the truck further up the street from their hotel just in case they had been followed. They entered the hotel separately and at least five minutes apart because they knew that three Americans dressed in fatigues limping into a hotel together would raise suspicions.

Sarah collapsed onto the couch.

When Casey saw Chuck rub his side he grabbed the first aid kit. "You took a few tough shots, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Chuck replied. "It wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't still trying to heal from my previous injury." He took the first aid kit from Casey but didn't make any effort to dress his wounds. Instead he watched Sarah sitting on the couch looking lost in thought.

Casey looked at them then said, "I'm going to go get some supplies and maybe something stronger. I think we could all use a stiff drink right about now."

Chuck nodded. "Thanks Casey."

Casey grabbed his jacket and keys and left.

As soon as the door slammed shut Chuck walked over to Sarah, sat down next to her and draped his arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she replied resting her head on his shoulder. For years she'd kept her feelings about her mom buried deep inside and seeing her again today had opened up a whole new set of doors that she wasn't sure she wanted to open.

Chuck caressed her hair as he held her close.

Sarah was glad that Chuck was there. She lifted her head and placed a soft kiss on his mouth. "I just want to forget that today ever happened."

"I can understand that." As he captured her lips again Chuck pulled her onto his lap. He knew that they were playing with fire because Casey could return any minute but he sensed that it was what Sarah needed from him at that very moment.

When their kisses intensified Sarah pulled away from him and stood up. "Come with me," she said grabbing his hand and leading him to the bathroom. She turned the shower on and steam quickly engulfed the room.

Chuck looked at her. "It's not as romantic as I would like but …"

Sarah silenced him with a kiss.

Chuck pulled her shirt off and caressed her shoulders.

Sarah quickly removed Chuck's shirt and belt. It may not be romantic but it was what she needed right now and she sensed that Chuck needed it too.

When they were finally naked they stepped into the shower. Hot water cascaded over their bodies as their kisses matched the steam and heat in the room. Chuck lifted Sarah and held her in his arms as they kissed.

Sarah needed to feel Chuck. She needed to feel his breath on her, his kisses and his warm embrace.

Unlike the previous times they'd made love this time was more frantic and passionate but Chuck knew it was what Sarah needed. Words weren't going to make her feel better. In fact they would probably make things worse because he had questions that she probably didn't want to answer. He made love to her until the hot water ran out then he turned off the water and wrapped her in a towel.

Sarah waited for him to wrap a towel around his waist then she kissed his damp chest. "A kiss here …. and here … and here," she said as she wrapped the tensor around his ribs.

Amused Chuck looked down at her. "If you carry on doing that I'll have to take you to the bedroom."

She looked at him and smiled. "And that would be so bad because ...?"

He chuckled and pulled her to him for a kiss. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I will be in time," she replied wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you for earlier. I know we shouldn't be doing this on a mission but ..."

"You needed me and I guess I needed you too," Chuck replied. "Besides, isn't that what boyfriends do?"

Sarah looked up at him suddenly recalling something that he'd said to her many years ago. Her mother had reminded her that she'd met Chuck when they were kids and it had unlocked her memories of him. "I guess you got what you asked for."

"What I asked for?" Chuck repeated. "I don't remember asking for anything."

"My mom reminded me that we met when we were kids," Sarah replied.

"I wondered when we'd get around to talking about that," Chuck admitted. "How weird is it that we didn't remember?"

"Very," she agreed. "When you started talking about being my boyfriend it reminded me of something you said to me when we were kids."

"What did I say?"

"You told me we would be boyfriend and girlfriend when we got older," Sarah replied.

Chuck didn't remember so she told him everything she could remember from that time when they were sitting in the tree house.

Chuck grinned at her as he pulled his jeans on. "Now I remember. You asked me if I knew any girls and I said only my sister, my mom and your mom and they didn't count so that only left you."

Sarah heard someone at the door. She glanced at Chuck who still hadn't put his shirt on. At least she was dressed she mused as she grabbed her gun and headed for the door.

Chuck, who was still standing in the doorway of the bathroom, breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was Casey.

Casey looked from Sarah to Chuck and smirked. "You two are more wound up than a couple of coils. I figured you'd be more relaxed by the time I got back. Didn't I give you enough time?"

"Very funny," Sarah replied turning away from him so he wouldn't see her blush. She stuck her gun in the back of her jeans and looked at Chuck who was also looking a little flushed.

When Chuck grabbed his shirt and started to put it on Casey smirked again. "Are you sure I didn't interrupt something?"

"Yes!" They both chimed.

Casey gave a slight grunt as he placed the food on the table. "It made sense to have Chinese food when your in the area so dig in."

The each grabbed a carton of noodles, shrimp and various other items then sat down to tuck into their food.

Casey waited till some of the food digested before asking what was weighing on his mind. "So Walker, that was your mother?"

Sarah grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth. She looked at Chuck who gave her a look that told her it would be ok. "Yeah … I thought she was dead. It would make this a hell of a lot easier if she was but she isn't and now I don't know what to believe. I don't even know what side she's on."

"Did she tell you anything?"

"No," Sarah replied her tone bitter. "She tried to act like the last twenty years never happened. I was just a kid when she left. My dad turned to a life of crime and to this day I still have no idea why either of them did what they did." She stood up and walked over to the window.

"There's got to be a reason why she did what she did," Casey replied. "If she was working with Shaw then she wouldn't have let us go."

Sarah turned to look at him. "Maybe she just did that to get on my good side."

Chuck wasn't convinced that Sarah's mom was bad and said, "What if it wasn't? What if there's a good reason for what she did?"

"You always want to see the best in people," Sarah said. "You're remembering my mom the way she was all those years ago. You don't know her as the person she's become."

"Maybe," Chuck acknowledged. "But it felt like your mom was being honest with us."

"This should be good," Casey muttered still trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"I can't believe you're taking her side," Sarah said.

"I'm not taking anyone's side," Chuck replied. "When we were leaving she told me to take care of you. If she was working for Shaw why would she say such a thing? I'm convinced that she was looking out for you. Do you recall the way she looked at you when she saw that it was you and how she wanted to know why you were there? If she didn't care she would have let Shaw carry out his plan but she didn't." He stood up and walked over to Sarah wishing that Casey knew about their personal relationship because he really wanted to hold her right now. "I know you have questions as to where your mom has been and why she left but we need to work together as a team if we're going to get you the answers to those questions. I get it ... you're frustrated ... I won't say hurt cause I know that Agent Walker is never hurt."

Sarah gave a slight smile. He always knew what to say even if it was at the worst time.

"Chuck's right," Casey chipped in. "Right now we don't know what side your mom is on but she let us go so we have to take that as a sign of good faith on her part."

Chuck picked up the file, placed the photos of him and Sarah to one side and wrote on a small piece of card, "Photos taken by Laura Burton"._Why had Laura wanted a picture of him and Sarah?_ He stared at them for a moment then remembered her mentioning his dad. She'd started to tell him something but hadn't got the chance to finish. He sat back and tried to remember the weekend he'd first met Sarah but all he came up with was the memory of them talking in the tree house. Hestood up. "Ok we know that the key opens up a box or cabinet and it must be important if people are willing to kill for it. We also know that Sarah's mom might be CIA and could possibly be working for the bad guys. The final piece in the puzzle is Shaw who we know is Franco Kovac's son."

"What!" Casey erupted.

"Sorry Casey, we didn't get around to telling you about that. Daniel Shaw is the son of Franko Kovac and Kathy Shaw. The same Kathy Shaw whom Sarah believed she killed as part of her red test but in fact her mom fired the deadly shot. Whoever told Laura that Kathy was going to be in Lisbon at the same time as Sarah was very in tune with this mission."

Casey looked at Sarah. "Besides you and Graham, who knew about your red test?"

Sarah put down her glass and shook her head. "I don't know. All I got was the blue folder with my instructions."

Chuck looked at her. "Someone had to be you or even Graham for that matter."

"Did Larkin tell you anything about Graham?" Casey asked Chuck.

"The only things Bryce told me was that someone had told him to send me the files and that this person has been looking out for me."

Casey pinned a piece of paper to the wall of their hotel room and started to write down what they knew. The paper quickly filled up with people and connections to the CIA. He was just about to cap his marker when Chuck walked up to him, grabbed the marker and wrote the names of his dad and Sarah's mom on the paper then he placed the marker down on the table.

Casey looked at him. "Why your dad Chuck?"

"I don't know if it has anything to do with why we're here but I do know that my dad was friends with Sarah's mom and dad."

Sarah looked at Chuck. "Did you remember something?"

"No but if we were friends back then it stands to reason that our parents must have been friends. I have a scary feeling that your past and mine is much more than that of a childhood friendship."

"Maybe," Sarah admitted. Her eye caught the clock on the wall and she said, "It's past 2:30am, we should probably get some sleep."

"Well I guess were done here for now," Casey replied. "We got a lot done but we still have a ways to go. Maybe we will head to the warehouse later and check out that lead. Going back to the mine wouldn't be a good idea."

"We'll check out the warehouse tomorrow," Chuck agreed.

"Any objections if I use the bathroom first," Casey asked standing up.

Chuck looked at Sarah then back at Casey. "Nope, go right ahead."

Casey grabbed his bag and headed to bathroom.

Sarah stood up and walked over to the window. It was still quite warm for two in the morning, the moon was full and she could see the slight indentation of the hill that housed the fake 'rice farm'.

Chuck walked over to Sarah and wrapped his arms around her.

She sighed with contentment as she leaned back against him. She gave him a nudge.

Chuck grunted. "Ouch!"

She turned around. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

He smiled. "That's okay, it was worth the pain."

"Let me try and make it better." Sarah lightly grazed her lips over his.

Chuck placed his hands on either side of her face as he kissed her back.

Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him one more time. "Goodnight sweetie."

He grinned. "Sweetie ... I like that. Goodnight babe."

Sarah walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

Chuck lay on top of his sleeping bag on the couch.

"Spill it Bartowski," Casey said walking into the room. "What are you thinking?"

Chuck glanced at him. "That it doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't?"

"How Sarah's mom knew exactly where we were at certain times and on certain dates. Whoever told Bryce to send me the intersect has to be someone that Laura knows."

"Do you think that Graham is involved?"

"I'm not sure," Chuck admitted. "He was working with Kovac 20 years ago. Maybe Graham wanted a bigger take on whatever Kovac was initially planning and being a CIA agent he knew what he could do and get away with."

Casey thought for a moment then said, "If Graham was working with Kovac then why would he have Sarah kill his wife?"

"I'm not sure but I have a feeling that the CIA might have someone else watching them and it's not Uncle Sam. This person sent Laura to protect Sarah. Did they also send Bryce to me and have something to do with you joining our team?"

"It's possible," Casey replied. "Maybe this mission is one big circle and any minute now it will blow up in our faces."

Chuck glanced at him. "Not literally, right?"

Casey shrugged. "Goodnight Bartowski. I think it's time to rest that brain of yours." He laid down on the other couch and fell asleep.

Try as he might Chuck couldn't shut his brain off. That was another burden he despised about having the intersect. It was worse than hearing white noise. It never really shut itself off.

**Port Docks Mekong River– Vientiane Laos **

**0:900 hrs **

Casey drove the truck to a shady part of town near the docks. He knew this place well. It was a popular port back in the day but after the Korean and Vietnam wars locals no longer trusted 'outsiders'. He parked the truck.

When Chuck and Sarah climbed out of the vehicle Chuck lifted his sun glasses.

Sarah could tell from the weary look in his eyes that he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. "You look awful!"

He grinned at her. "Thanks a lot. That's just the pep talk that I needed."

"Sorry," she replied. "Didn't you sleep last night?"

Chuck didn't want to add to Sarah's growing list of worries so he lied. "I didn't have my bunk buddy with me so it took me a while to fall asleep."

Sarah grinned at him. "Is that right?"

Casey grimaced and said, "Are you two done flirting?"

"We're done," Chuck replied as Casey opened the warehouse doors.

They followed Casey into the warehouse and waited for him to close the doors.

Chuck glanced around the warehouse then said, "This place usually housed US army weapons, food, war supplies, medicine and state of the art communications surveillance."

Sarah frowned. "There's nothing here so where did it go?"

Chuck shrugged. "Maybe they shipped it back to the US or perhaps it's been sold on the black market."

As the trio strolled deeper into the warehouse Sarah asked, "What kind of lead made us come here Casey?"

"When I looked at the export cargo bins in the mine I saw the serial numbers. I remembered Chuck saying that when you found the key it was in a box destined for Sweden. I called the person registered at the mailing address. The number was redirected to a copper mine near Torneträsk in Sweden. It's near a Lake called Inder Nähe von Stordalen."

The gang walked in and out of rooms in the warehouse. It was sparse with a few boxes and empty cargo bins. The rest of the area remained untouched.

Chuck and Sarah were heading to the last door on the right at the far end of the warehouse when they noticed a light shining underneath the door. When they listened they heard noises indicating that someone was inside the room.

Sarah motioned for Chuck to stop.

He nodded and paused behind her.

She turned the door knob but it alerted the person inside the room and when she opened the door all she saw was a foot disappearing out of the window. She ran over to it but the person was gone. She raised a hand to her lips. "Casey someone just broke through an office window south side on the second floor. Do you see them?"

"Negative," he replied. "I'll swing back around to see what I can find."

Sarah and Chuck looked around the office. It looked like someone hadn't used the room for some time. The monitors were smashed rendering the hard drive of the computer useless. Whoever had been looking at the computer knew what do to erase its memory.

Chuck turned to her. "Great, now what do we do?"

"Go and see if Casey has found anything," she replied. "There's nothing we can do here." She turned on her heels and walked down the hall.

Chuck remained where he was. '_Someone destroyed these computers for a reason but why here?_

"Chuck, are you coming?"

"Yeah, just one second." He caught up with Sarah and they returned to the main part of the warehouse and waited for Casey to return. When they heard some scuffling noises coming from behind them Sarah got up and went to see what the commotion was.

Casey suddenly emerged with a cuffed Bryce who he threw onto the floor. After Chuck had been shot Casey's need to protect him shifted from NSA agent protecting an asset to a friend protecting a friend – comrade to comrade. He disliked cowards and right now Bryce was at the top of that list.

After Bryce had left Sarah to rot in Columbia he had laid low for awhile until the smoke had cleared. He'd always wondered if Chuck had read his apology email and although he regretted shooting his friend he knew he'd done it to protect him.

Casey paced back and forth caressing his gun and taming the infamous trigger finger. It had been itchy for a while now and it needed a fix or better yet a scratch – that was named Bryce Larkin. He had promised not to kill Bryce and although he was tempted to knock him into submission he resisted for the sake of his team.

Bryce watched Casey. He knew that the NSA agent wouldn't miss an opportunity to wipe him clean off the face of this earth. "So you found me. What now?"

Casey continued to pace the floor.

"How are Chuck and Sarah? I hear that the team is back together." Bryce shifted trying to loosen the hand cuffs. "Why are you in Laos? Are you on a mission?"

Casey turned around and grabbed Bryce by the throat.

Bryce fell back onto the table.

"You don't have the right to ask anything," Casey growled. "You lost those rights when you shot Chuck. Saving the intersect appears to have been completely forgotten when your so-called best friend was attached to the problem. Chuck could have died! Now your actions are coming back to haunt you Larkin!" He aimed his gun at Bryce's heart. "Do you want to know how it feels to have a bullet pierce your chest or to feel the life being sucked out of you by someone you trusted?" He sneered. "I despise cowards but we can solve that problem with one motion of my finger. Life would be so much better if you weren't around." He aimed his gun at Bryce's chest. "Chuck doesn't need this and he doesn't need you." Casey cocked his gun and he stared at Bryce.

Chuck and Sarah came running into warehouse. "Casey stop!"

Casey redirected his gaze to Chuck and Sarah.

"Casey please don't," Chuck begged. "Bryce is not worth it."

Casey released his finger on the trigger

Chuck placed his hand on Casey's shoulder. "Bryce is not worth it."

Bryce was taken aback by Chuck's words.

Chuck walked over to Sarah and she interlocked her fingers with his.

It didn't fail to escape Bryce's attention as he stood up.

Chuck stared at the man responsible for shooting him. The man who until that day had been his best friend. The man who was now fighting for his own life. He didn't know whether to feel angry or disappointed with Bryce. Sure, he'd been shot but at the end of the day he had Sarah, Casey, Ellie and Devon on his side. Bryce had no one but then he remembered being left to face the consequences of getting kicked out of Stanford when Bryce knew that school was all he had at the time beside his sister Ellie. Being burned by Jill was another but Chuck knew that she hadn't been the girl for him so he wasn't upset about that anymore. The thing that ticked him off the most was the fact that Bryce had left Sarah to die. For many years Chuck had been Bryce's fall guy – his second in command, brother from another mother, but that bond could only save you so many times and after that ties had to be cut.

Chuck let go of Sarah's hand and walked up to Bryce. He didn't need the intersect to give Bryce what he deserved. He swung his right arm and his fist connected with Bryce's face sending him crashing to the floor. The sound echoed through the warehouse.

Bryce struggled to his feet and spat blood out of his mouth.

Chuck's eyes narrowed into black specks of anger. "You never think before you act! You could have shot me anywhere or not at all which would have been fine with me ... with all of us." He paced back and forth in front of Bryce.

Casey kept his hand on his gun.

Sarah just stood there feeling every word that Chuck was saying. He was hurting and she knew he had to get it off his chest.

Chuck didn't like confrontation especially when it came to 'family' but no longer considered Bryce to be part of his extended family. "Your attempt to save me almost killed me. How can you justify your reason to protect me? Were you protecting something my dad created because he made it sound so great to have an intersect in his son's brain?"

"Chuck!"

"Save it Bryce! I'm tired of your games. You told me it was complicated and I get that but did you really have to shoot me? Wasn't it bad enough that you took Jill and Stanford from me not to mention what you did with Sarah? How could you do that to someone you supposedly cared about?"

Bryce spat blood out of his mouth one more time but before he could respond he saw four black ops soldiers entering the warehouse. He knew his time was running out. He knew why they were there. He had to tell Chuck everything that Orion had told him. No more secrets. Bryce had burned too many bridges and this last one with Chuck was the only one he'd ever cared about. Chuck was family. He was like a brother to him and even though it was obvious that Chuck no longer felt the same way Bryce knew he had to come clean with him.

Before he could tell Chuck anything the soldiers descended on him. "Chuck buddy, you've got to believe me, there's more to this thank you know!"

Chuck turned away from him.

Sarah just stared at Bryce.

Casey relaxed his trigger finger.

As Bryce was being dragged off by the soldiers he knew he had to play his last card to make Chuck understand why he'd done what he'd done. He took one last breath and yelled, "Chuck, wait!"

Chuck looked up. He was tired but he managed to muster enough strength to give Bryce one last moment before he was thrown into custody for treason and many other charges.

Bryce looked at Chuck. "I forgot to mention something your dad told me – he made me memorize the words. I don't understand what they mean but maybe you will. **"Out there is a new world! Out there ... is our destiny!"**

Sarah walked over to Chuck. "Do you know what it means?"

Chuck stood frozen to the spot as he flashed on the words. Visions of puzzles and cryptic codes whirled around in his brain then a phrase emerged: _The white swan has to protect the world. Cygnus has been restored_. He collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Sarah caught Chuck just before he hit his head on the hard ground. She brushed his hair away from his face. This flash had been the worst she'd ever seen him have.

After a couple of minutes Chuck regained consciousness and sat up.

Casey walked over and helped him up.

Chuck covered his face with his hands when a sharp pain shot through his head.

Sarah rubbed his arm and whispered. "It's a bad one?"

Chuck nodded.

The pain was so intense Sarah had to help him sit down then she ran to their packs and grabbed a bottle of water and some aspirin.

It was the second time in less than a week that Chuck had had such an intense flash. It seemed that the more he worked on this mission the more intense the flashes became.

He hoped that it was a one-time thing because he didn't remember signing up for this. He took the aspirin from Sarah and smiled at her.

Sarah loved that even when Chuck was in pain he still was so sincere. They hadn't really talked since Chuck had confronted her about her past and she missed their talks but they both knew that as little as a smile is to some people it was the world to them. Their relationship was built on the little things, the looks and the touches.

Chuck took one last gulp of his water and passed the bottle to Sarah then he stood up. He felt a bit whoozie but managed to walk over to Bryce. "So talk!"

The soldiers loosened the cuffs and Bryce sat down on a nearby crate.

Casey dragged the table nearer and sat down waiting to see where this was going.

Sarah was cautious and stayed close to Chuck. She knew he had to do this and it paned her to see the hurt in his eyes as well as the anger and confusion. She wished that she could just take all of Chuck's pain away like he was always doing for her.

Bryce looked at Chuck. "You had a bad one didn't you?"

Chuck nodded.

"They're getting worse?"

"Yeah."

"I am so sorry buddy."

Casey intervened. "Sorry? How original!"

"Casey." Chuck looked back at him. "Please don't." He was done fighting and looked at Bryce. "Continue."

Bryce tried to come up with a good enough reason which he knew that Casey and Sarah wouldn't like but he knew that if he used what Orion had told him it would start to make sense and open up a few doors. "I met your father when we were at Stanford and like I said in your letter ..." Bryce paused. "You got the letter, right?"

Chuck nodded. Sarah had shown him the email when he'd come out of hospital.

"Good," Bryce said looking relieved. "When I met your father he was in hiding with two other people. I don't know who they were and whenever I enquired he refused to tell me anything. Your dad got wind that the CIA were closing in on him. All the fire walls and cryptic codes he'd set up to protect his files were being decrypted by the CIA faster than he was able to protect them. When one of his secure web searches came up with your name he knew that the CIA was going to recruit you for the Omaha project so he got in touch with me and we started talking. When Orion told me that you couldn't go on the Omaha mission I had to do something to prevent it from happening so I made out that you stole the test. The CIA started to divide and Orion's files were the only piece to the puzzle that everyone wanted. If groups like Fulcrum, The Ring or Fornax got their hands on his files it would have been a disaster and what we know as the CIA would have ceased to exist. Orion had known since you were a kid that this would happen - don't ask me how ... it had to do with some kind of prophecy or something. Whoever he was working with knew too and the three of them have been working together for years to prevent the intersect from falling into the wrong hands. Orion even knew that someone had interfered with Sarah's red test."

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other then back at Bryce.

"Who ever wanted those files was quickly closing in on your father so he had the files downloaded to a secure location at the DNI. My job was to get those files and send them to you. We both knew that you were the only one who could keep them safe. Fulcrum believed that I had the intersect but when Tommy was killed and the files from Columbia linked it all back to you I knew I had to act fast. I was trying to protect you. They were coming for you! Why do you think you were sent here? They are closer than you think!"

Team B looked at each other then back at Bryce.

"When all hell broke loose in LA I knew I had to make them think that you were dead because if they had found out your connection to the intersect and Orion everything would have been lost. Having you presumed dead and out of action for a while gave me a chance to come up with another plan. Your location was compromised when you found those files containing your picture and made contact with Kovac."

Chuck flashed on Franco Kovac and the name Cygnus and Fulcrum came up again.

"Kovac was affiliated with Fort Bragg and Omaha's sister project called Cygnus."

"That's right," Bryce replied. "Kovac was very upset that the files for the intersect were let's say in the wrong brain. Whoever took those pictures was being watched. I didn't know what else to do but I knew that if I didn't act fast Ellie's life would be in danger as well. I vowed to keep Orion's secret and to protect his family no matter what. Chuck, I am still trying to keep Orion's identity a secret so that's why there isn't anything on him. Your dad and whoever he's working with is not done but they are counting on you to finish this."

Things were starting to make some sense but it also created a whole lot more questions. Chuck looked at Sarah. He wanted to have a normal life with her and honestly didn't know what to do at this point. He got up and walked away from Bryce and Casey.

Sarah walked over to him wanting to give him a hug but not daring to with Bryce and Casey watching them. It was times like this that her bond with Chuck became that much stronger. No words were necessary between them and even though it wasn't the way they wanted it to be it had to be enough for now.

An eerie silence descended on the warehouse then the silence was broken when a single shot rang out and narrowly missed Chuck.

Sarah panicked and grabbed his arm pulling him behind one of the storage bins. Casey ducked behind the other storage bin as guards ran into the warehouse. Bryce wasn't as quick and the guards grabbed him.

Casey motioned to Sarah's left. She nodded and shot the guard. The others opened fire and it turned into a saloon type brawl.

Sarah stayed with Chuck. Their location had been compromised but who knew that they were there?

Chuck turned to Sarah. "We need to find Bryce. I think those men were part of Fulcrum."

Sarah yelled into her watch. "Casey we need to find Bryce, he's in Fulcrum hands."

Casey shot a round of bullets killing all of the remaining guards. When the smoke cleared the three of them went to look for Bryce.

Chuck scanned the warehouse then noticed a foot protruding from one of the other storage bins. He ran over to it.

Casey maintained his position and provided cover while Sarah followed Chuck and helped pull the debris off Bryce.

"Fulcrum – shot – me - ," Bryce said gasping for air.

"Hang in there buddy," Chuck replied. He stripped off his shirt and pressed it against the wound in an effort to stop the bleeding.

Sarah knelt down next to Chuck.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Bryce gasped. "You're trying to save me when I shot you."

Chuck shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. That's all in the past."

"Just remember what I said," Bryce coughed and blood trickled out of his mouth. "I was protecting you." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a circular type disc. "Take – this – It will…" His breathing became shallow.

Chuck took the disc. "What is it for?"

"You'll figure it out – you always do…"

"Bryce who shot you?"

"Looked like Kovac," he gasped for breath. "But he was younger ..." He coughed again. "Stay safe buddy. You're not alone. You were my best friend …."

"Bryce don't you dare die on me!" Chuck yelled. He shook Bryce's limp body. "BRYCE!"

When Sarah realized that Bryce was dead she pulled Chuck away from him.

Chuck stared at the blood covered disc in his hand hardly able to believe that Bryce was gone.

Casey came rushing over to them and crouched down beside Chuck and Sarah.

Sarah didn't shed a tear over Bryce. He had once been her partner and boyfriend but neither of those titles had applied to him for a long time now.

Chuck turned to Casey. "We need to find Kovac, he knows too much."

"OK!" Casey cocked his gun.

Chuck grabbed Sarah's hand and his backpack then the three of them left the warehouse. The younger Kovac, Daniel Shaw, could run but he couldn't hide.

29


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Destiny's Child**

Our character...is an omen of our destiny, and the more integrity we have and keep, the simpler and nobler that destiny is likely to be.

**George Santayana**,

The team suspected that Shaw had gone back to the mine after leaving the warehouse so they staked out the entrance. Their mood was sombre as they waited for Shaw to appear. Bryce may not have been the best of characters and he certainly wasn't someone they would call a friend but he was a fellow agent and he had died trying to protect Chuck so it was hard not to respect him for that.

Chuck could think of plenty of reasons why Bryce didn't deserve to be mourned but none of them made him feel any better about what had happened. Bryce wasn't the first agent to die protecting the intersect and he probably wouldn't be the last. The thought depressed Chuck and he wondered where it was all going to end. Bryce had once told him that he'd taken an oath to protect the greater good. His friend had lived and died for what he believed in and no one could take that away from him. For all intents and purposes Bryce Larkin had died a hero.

Casey had worked with Chuck long enough to know how much Bryce's death had affected him. Dealing with death was part of the job when you were an agent and he had witnessed more than his fair share during his career. He'd learned to live with it but he knew that Chuck was different. He let his emotions dictate his actions and it worried Casey that he would do something stupid like try to avenge Bryce's death.

The last twenty four hours had been emotional and exhausting for Sarah and as dawn crept over the horizon in Laos she struggled to keep her eyes open. They had been on this mission for almost a week and the lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her.

Casey noticed her eyes drifting closed and said, "Get some sleep Walker. I'll keep an eye on the entrance."

Too tired to argue with him Sarah just nodded and closed her eyes. She'd been trained to sleep anywhere and knew that if anything happened she would be instantly awake and ready for action.

Chuck rested his back against a tree and watched Sarah sleep. He longed to hold her in his arms so that she could sleep more comfortably but as that wasn't possible he settled for holding her hand once Casey turned his back to them.

An hour later Sarah stirred. She didn't need to open her eyes to know that it was Chuck who was holding her hand. She always got the same warm feeling whenever he touched her and this time was no different. She turned her face to the warm sun enjoying the early morning peace and quiet that surrounded them. _The calm before the storm she thought to herself._ She knew that it was only a matter of time before Shaw arrived and all hell broke loose so she roused herself from sleep and turned her head to look at Chuck. When she saw the haunted look in his eyes she asked, "Are you okay?"

Despite his sombre mood Chuck couldn't help smiling. It was typical of Sarah to worry about him. He gave her hand a squeeze to show that he appreciated her concern then whispered, "I'm a big boy, I'll get over it."

Sarah could tell that he was hurting but now wasn't the time to have a heart to heart with him over what had happened to Bryce so she followed his gaze to the tree opposite them. They sat in silence for a while listening to the soft cooing of the birds as they hopped from branch to branch. Sarah had the distinct feeling that she and Chuck had done this before but she couldn't recall where then it suddenly came to her. The morning they'd woken up in the tree house they had watched the birds nesting in the trees in her parent's garden. She turned her head to look at Chuck. The resemblance between the young boy with dark curly hair and the man sitting beside her was easy to see now that she knew they were one and the same person.

Sarah cast her mind back to the day she'd met Chuck in the Buy More. She'd been a different person back then. Casey had called her Director Graham's wild card and he hadn't been wrong. When she'd joined the CIA she had quickly learned that feelings and emotions had no place in a spy's life. Her instructor had told her that there was only one way to condition yourself to feel nothing and that was to let go of your past so she'd buried Lisa Burton's memories in the far recesses of her mind and focused on being Agent Sarah Walker, a cold hearted ruthless spy. From the moment Sarah had left the Farm every mission had involved a new identity and for a while it had been easy to forget who she really was but then she'd met Chuck and he'd reminded her what it was like to have a real life. He had turned her world upside down and slowly but surely his selfless caring ways and adorable smiles had melted the ice around her heart and turned her back into a woman with real feelings and emotions.

Sarah bolted upright when a thought occurred to her. Chuck had been the catalyst for every good thing that had happened in her life and although she hadn't remembered him from her childhood her subconscious had obviously made the connection. The more she thought about it the more convinced she was that Chuck had been the trigger for her recurring dream. It had started shortly after meeting Chuck and she realized now that her connection to him must have triggered memories about her past. She'd made a conscious effort to stop the memories from re-surfacing but when she was asleep her defences were down and it was impossible to stop the dreams that had plagued her since meeting Chuck.

Startled by Sarah's sudden movement Chuck quickly checked the perimeter to make sure he hadn't missed anything. When everything looked the same he turned back to her. "What's wrong?"

She gave him a warm smile and whispered, "Absolutely nothing." When she saw that Casey still had his back to them she leaned over and gave Chuck a quick kiss on the lips.

He grinned and whispered, "What was that for?"

Sarah shrugged and smiled at him then drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Until today she'd believed that the intersect had been sent to Chuck by accident and that it had been pot luck that she'd been given this assignment but now she was starting to think that maybe there was more to their story than she'd first thought. Chuck had made it his mission to be there for her emotionally and he'd gone out of his way to show her that there was more to life than being a spy. He had essentially saved her from becoming exactly like Bryce and she would always be grateful to him for that.

Casey noticed that Sarah was awake and said, "It doesn't look like Shaw's going to come out any time soon. If we want to end this mission we'll have to go and get him."

Sarah nodded. "I want to know what he's done with my mom."

Chuck was determined to make Shaw pay for what he'd done to Bryce but first he had to find out what he knew about their mission. If Shaw was the son of Franco Kovac then there was a good chance that he could be 'The Man'.

"Put your gas mask on," Casey ordered Chuck and Sarah as he fitted his own mask. He threw two smoke grenades into the entrance of the mine and they waited to see if anyone would exit. When nothing happened Casey said, "Let's go."

They drew their weapons as they walked through the smoke using it as a shield until they found cover behind some rocks. When the smoke finally cleared they saw that the area was completely empty. A noise coming from a pile of wooden slabs near the cargo bins got their attention and they quickly made their way over there to see what it was.

Casey raised his arm signalling to Chuck and Sarah to stop. "Cover me while I check this out. It looks like there's a door to the right."

They both nodded and watched Casey hurry over to the other side of the mine then Chuck crouched down keeping his eyes on the doors.

Sarah checked her magazine to make sure she had enough bullets then she moved closer to Chuck and rested her head on his shoulder.

He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer then he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

Sarah looked up at him. "What was that for?"

Chuck smiled at her. "Do I need a reason to kiss you?"

"Well no but when you start kissing me I'm not always sure where it will end up."

He chuckled softly. "Worried are we Agent Walker?"

"No, I just want to enjoy them without having to look over my shoulder every time we kiss, that's all."

Chuck responded by leaning in to give her another kiss. When Sarah reached up to caress his cheek he leaned back and said, "I promise that I will never make you feel that what we share isn't important. I just wish that we didn't have to hide our relationship from the world. Why would I want to hide the fact that I'm in love with you?"

"Why indeed," she agreed.

"Sarah whatever happens here today I am with you always. I need you to know that and remember it if anything happens to me."

"Nothing is going to happen to you or me or us. We're going to find my mom, capture Shaw and go home." Sarah looked up at him. "Besides, you owe me a date!"

Chuck smiled at her. "I promise you, if we get out of here alive you can have a date of your choice."

"_Ok guys," Casey _said coming through their earpieces._ "I'm here. It looks like a door or a stairwell. Could be an elevator. I can't really tell. Get over here." _

Chuck and Sarah hurried over to Casey and waited while he ran his hands up and around the door. "There's no indentation or way to open this door."

Just then they heard noises coming from the other side of the door. They quickly hid behind the slabs and waited. When two men came out Casey and Sarah jumped them and knocked them out.

When Sarah saw the door closing she yelled, "Chuck, get the door!"

Chuck found a broken two by four and slid it over the floor. It stopped in the doorway preventing the door from closing. Pleased with himself he said, "It looks like that Wii bowling finally came in handy."

Casey grabbed the men's guns and the three of them headed through the door where they came face to face with a panel containing Chinese writing. Sarah and Casey couldn't read it so Chuck flashed on it and pressed a couple of buttons. When the doors closed he realized that they were in an elevator.

Sarah was proud of what Chuck could do. She smiled at him but it quickly turned to a frown when Casey grunted.

Chuck turned around. "I do have my skill sets, don't I?"

Casey grunted again. "Just don't let it go to your head Bartowski."

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Chuck grabbed his extension telescopic mirror and scanned the hallway. He read the symbols on the wall: 'dì tiev zhàn' si.

Sarah looked at him. "What does it say?"

"Underground Station 4," he replied. "It looks like we're in some kind of basement."

Casey exited the elevator first. "These floors are reversed so instead of going in ascending order we go in descending order."

"Sounds about right Casey," Chuck replied. "So what now?"

"We'll case this floor then head down to the others. Shaw has to be on one of these floors."

The team walked the corridor knocking out and tranqing anyone who got in their way then they parted ways. Casey went to check out the third floor and Chuck and Sarah made their way to the second floor. Chuck came across an office with some computers, which he assumed was their main frame set up so he broke the glass and climbed through the window. He sat down at the computer which housed the mine's building structure. He placed a USB into the hard drive and started downloading the files. He quickly broke into the computer and started scanning the feeds for any sign of Shaw or Sarah's mom.

Sarah spotted her mom on one of the feeds and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chuck scanned the room and noticed that Laura wasn't alone. She was sitting listening to someone but he couldn't make out who it was. All he could see were bags and totes being filled by this person. He scanned the floor looking for the closest way out if they needed to get out fast then spoke into his mic. _"Casey I found the processing area Substation level 1 but first we need to get Sarah's mom. Meet us on the second floor. We'll get Laura out then go after Shaw.'_

'_Roger that!'_

Although Sarah was relieved that her mom was okay she still had lots of questions about why her mom was even there in the first place.

Chuck removed the USB and followed Sarah out the door and down the hall.

Casey came down the stairs just as Chuck rounded the corner. "This place is one big empty fortress."

"I found a few men on each of the wings but nothing to indicate that something big is happening here," Casey replied. "Maybe the first floor will open that door for us."

Chuck was about to open the door that led to the room where they had seen Laura but when Sarah put her hand on his arm to stop him he turned to look at her.

"I know that you want to save my mom but we are not here for her we are here to get answers and find out what the key is for. We are not here to save..."

"Sarah your mom is part of this," Chuck replied. "Somehow she's connected to this mission and we need to find out why."

Casey nodded his head in agreement. "Chuck's right. Your mom is part of this and we need to make sure she's safe not only for the mission but for you as well."

Sarah looked at Chuck and Casey trying to come up with a solution that she was happy with. "Ok, but let's go to the first floor first then come back and get my mom."

Chuck and Casey hesitated for a second then nodded knowing that it was pointless to argue with Sarah once she made her mind up about something.

They headed to the far hallway and walked down the stairs. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they could smell the remnants of smelted copper, stale water and recycled heat.

Chuck crept into the open area first but stayed low while Casey and Sarah kept their eyes on everything else.

Casey fired a few shots when he noticed those infamous red dots of death aimed at Chuck's head.

Chuck sighed with relief. "Thanks Casey!"

Casey and Sarah continued to pick off men as they emerged into the open area seemingly from crevasses in the wall. When everything went silent again they continued through the open area noticing that the dead men seemed to be mostly of Chinese decent. There was still no sign of Shaw though.

Chuck walked behind Sarah. When he spotted the tables he knew they'd hit the jackpot. He walked around the tables of melted copper and computer circuit boards.

"This place looks like the back of the Buy More," Casey said.

"Exactly," Chuck said. "But why all these computer parts and copper discs? What are they doing with them?"

"Beats me," Casey replied. "You're the computer geek."

"Nerd," Chuck said. "How many times do I have to tell you it's nerd?"

Casey just shook his head. "What difference does it make? Geek and nerd mean the same thing."

Chuck decided that it was pointless arguing with Casey so he ignored him and walked around the area trying to figure out why the computer parts and copper discs would be hidden so far underground and in a country like China. He picked up items and discarded them again like he was scrounging around at a garage sale then he across a disc that looked very similar to the copper disc Bryce had given him. It was no bigger than a compact disc. He picked it up then reached into his inside pocket and took out the blood stained one that Bryce had given him. They looked the same but the one that Bryce had given him seemed to have more detail than the one he'd just picked up from the table. He didn't have time to examine it so he pocketed them both and continued searching through the items on the table. He came across several smaller units and circuit boards then motioned to Casey and Sarah to grab what they could as evidence.

They didn't see the person lurking in the shadows until it was too late.

Sarah swept the far table. "How much stuff do we need? I'm not sure that I have what you want."

"Don't worry," Chuck replied. "I'll decide on that when we get back home."

"OK we can ... " Sarah froze when the shadow came alive and she felt someone hold a gun to her head.

Shaw took Sarah's gun out of her holster and threw it behind him then he whispered, "Where's Carmichael?"

Sarah pointed in the direction of Chuck and Casey.

Shaw forced her towards Chuck and Casey.

As Sarah rounded the corner Chuck could see that she wasn't alone. He grabbed his gun and Casey drew his as well.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Shaw warned them. "Trust me, this time I will make damn sure that Agent Walker gets what's coming to her so put your guns down!"

Casey and Chuck never budged.

Angry that they weren't taking him seriously Shaw pistol-whipped Sarah in the back of the head.

Chuck lunged forward. "Sarah!"

"Back off Agent Carmichael!" Shaw sneered. "Unless you want to see her dead of course then by all means please come forward!"

"Chuck!" Casey warned. "Don't move."

Chuck swallowed hard as he watched Sarah being dragged back up with blood running down the front of her neck.

Sarah looked at Chuck and mouthed _'sorry'_.

Chuck and Casey immediately threw down their guns.

Shaw tightened his hold on Sarah. "So you found my operation. You have no idea what you've got yourself into. What you see here will blow your mind. What my father has worked so hard for over the last twenty or so years will finally make a difference. I bet that after you blew up the mine in Chile and scared a few of my investors in Columbia you thought I would be worried but no. I still have the upper hand."

"What about Agent Larkin?" Chuck yelled. "What was he to you?"

"Larkin was just a pawn," Shaw replied. "Too bad he wasn't able to help us like we wanted him too but with or without Larkin's brain and the intersect my dad's plans will be carried out. What Larkin brought to the table was only part of it – the files he had stored in his brain no longer exist so we could add what we want. The USA's whole network of Intel and files died the moment my gun was fired into his chest."

Chuck moved closer to Shaw.

Shaw noticed and pressed his gun against Sarah's head. "Carmichael, haven't you learned anything yet? I have a gun and I have Agent Walker. You might not care about Agent Larking but I know you have feelings for Agent Walker. You make the wrong move and she dies. You say or do the wrong thing and she dies. It looks like either way she is going to die so if you want to add another funeral to Agent Larkin's please continue Agent Carmichael."

Casey grabbed Chuck's arm and whispered, "Don't give him what he wants. We'll find another way."

Chuck moved back.

"Thank you," Shaw grinned. "And while you're at it can you please unload your backpacks of the stuff you stole from my tables. I don't need a copy cat system competing with mine."

Chuck and Casey dropped their packs on the table.

"Now step back," Shaw ordered them.

Sarah made make eye contact with Casey. A silent message passed between them both understanding what had to be done. As soon as Sarah stepped on Shaw's foot Casey grabbed a pipe from the table. Shaw loosened his grip on Sarah and she managed to break free just as Casey flung the bar in Shaw's direction.

Shaw saw the bar hurtling towards him and fired his gun.

Casey pushed Chuck out of the way and both men fell to the ground.

Sarah slid under the table.

Blood dripped on the floor next to Chuck and when he looked at Casey he saw that he'd been shot in the arm. "Casey your hit!"

"It's just a flesh wound Bartowski," Casey replied. "It was either you or me. I prefer that it was me."

Chuck saw Sarah crawling under the table towards him then he spotted Shaw following her. When they emerged from under the tables into the open area Chuck grabbed Sarah and held her.

Despite the pain in his left arm Casey picked up his gun and pointed it at Shaw.

Shaw leaned back on his heels. "I guess you got me now."

"I won't take that chance till I know for sure that we have you," Casey replied.

"What? You don't trust me?"

Casey grunted. "Damn right I don't trust you!"

"Major Casey never underestimate your opponent. That is why you're not in the field anymore. You couldn't handle playing the game. Your skills are not as sharp as they used to be and you think that by holding a gun at me you have me. Far from it. You may have a gun pointed at me but I have many more pointed at you."

Instantly a line of red death marks pointed at Chuck, Sarah and Casey.

Shaw smirked. "Make your move Major Casey but be careful ... quite often your next move can lead to your last move."

Casey hated defeat especially from the hands of man like Shaw. For someone who came out of nowhere he was sure becoming a threat. He held his left arm grimacing when the pain started to become unbearable.

"I see my bullet hit you," Shaw drawled when he saw Casey clutching his arm. "I might be persuaded to get you some medical attention if you stop fighting me." He looked at Chuck and Sarah. "Then again I might not hold up my end of the deal if your friends here try to be heroes."

The other men who had snuck in the area came forward aiming their guns at Chuck Sarah and Casey.

Shaw walked over to Sarah and shoved Chuck away from her.

Chuck tried not to flash. He didn't want Shaw to know that he was the intersect and he didn't want anything more to happen to Sarah or Casey for that matter.

Shaw chuckled when Chuck didn't protest or fight back. "You give a little and I take. I like that."

Casey was trying to not react to what had just happened.

Shaw took Sarah and started heading towards the stairs. He looked over his shoulder and called, "If I were you two I would think long and hard about your next move. My men have orders to do what they like to you after I leave."

Chuck tried to move but three guns were pointed at him in various spots. Casey too had a few guns on him.

Shaw dragged Sarah off with a few of his men tagging along behind him.

As soon as Shaw was out of sight Chuck gave Casey a nod and squinted his eyes immediately going into the long awaited flash. He flashed on several fight moves and when he sprang into action the men never knew what hit them. He and Casey grabbed some guns and backpacks and headed up the stairs to find Sarah. Chuck spotted her and Shaw's entourage heading up another flight of stairs towards the elevator.

Casey and Chuck moved as fast as they could but the elevator doors closed before they could reach them.

Sarah made no indication to Shaw that Chuck had seen her and was coming for her.

Chuck and Casey made it to the ground floor of the mine. They hid behind the export cargo bins that had housed Chuck and Sarah the previous day and waited until they saw Sarah being dragged into the clearing by Shaw.

Shaw stopped when he spotted Chuck and Casey. "Well, well, well ... bravo. I'm not sure how you got here but I am impressed. Unfortunately, this is as far as you go."

"I wouldn't count your eggs before their hatched," Chuck yelled.

"Exactly Agent Carmichael, I would say the same to you as well."

When Shaw raised his left arm Chuck saw the detonator. He panicked when he saw that Sarah had C4 attached to the right side of her face.

Shaw wrapped his arm around Sarah's neck. "I am tired Carmichael so we will say our goodbyes. Please say goodbye to Agent Walker because this is the last time you will ever see her alive!" As Shaw moved towards the entrance of the mine, he was distracted by a noise coming from his right.

The noise allowed Sarah to break free and head butt Shaw in the face. Shaw flew back and Sarah continued to attack him with several punches. In the confusion Shaw released the detonator and it flew backwards onto the floor.

Chuck watched in slow motion as the detonator fell to the ground and Sarah ran towards him. He watched the timer counting down then he suddenly yelled, "Run Sarah, run!"

Sarah was focusing on the end with Chuck standing there to catch her.

Chuck saw the timer run down 10 – 9 –8-7-6-5-4-3.

Sarah was inches away from him as the timer counted 2-1. Chuck reached out his hand and barely got to touch Sarah's fingers as the detonator went off. The blast threw Casey into the corridor of the mine. Chuck fell back and Sarah disappeared with the blast.

Chuck waited till the dust settled then called out to Sarah but there is no reply. He continued to call Sarah's name.

Casey looked around to see if there was any sign of Sarah or Shaw. He scanned the debris and noticed a two-meter wide hole in the ground. All he could see was something shiny in the dirt. He bent down and reached for the object, blew the dusted off it and saw that it was a bracelet. He walked over to Chuck and dropped the bracelet into the palm of Chuck's hand.

Chuck knew that Sarah was gone but where? Shaw was no longer there either. This man apparently had nine lives and Chuck was ready to kill all of them. He turned around and ran his hands through his hair, held his head in his hands and fell to the ground. Chuck rubbed his palms on his pants trying not to react to Sarah literally being gone or even worse. He took many deep breaths as he tried to regain some control and hold back his emotions.

Casey walked over to Chuck and pulled him up. He was taking Sarah's disappearance harder than he thought he would but Casey had long ago figured out what was going on between the two agents so he gave Chuck a break. _Not all soldiers were hardened souls; some had a hearts Casey thought to himself._

"We need to find her Casey," Chuck said in a panicked voice. "She's my past, present and hopefully my future. I love her!"

Casey nodded and cocked his gun then he looked at Chuck. "It takes a lot for a man to admit that he loves a woman especially one like Sarah. I salute you. Don't worry, we'll find her."

Chuck smiled his thanks to Casey and followed him through the hole in the wall. They followed the tracks and emerged on the far side of the mine near the reservoir.

Chuck realized that Shaw must have found another way out. He paced and yelled for Sarah again but the late afternoon air echoed his cry back to him.

Chuck and Casey headed back into the mine. Casey had just gotten off the phone to General Beckman informing her that Shaw had captured Sarah and that they had found Sarah's mom. General Beckman was curious to see who Sarah's mom was. Without a picture to go on Beckman decided to come out and see for herself and lend her support in helping to get Sarah back.

Suddenly Chuck saw Laura running towards him. When she didn't she her daughter she cried out to Chuck. He shook his head and embraced Laura when tears filled her eyes. He felt her pain.

Casey stood and admitting to himself that he too was affected by what had happened. It was no longer an in and out mission but one that could have two bodies going back to state side as Shaw foretold earlier but he knew that Sarah wouldn't give up without a fight and Chuck would never give up on her. He loved Sarah and had been her saviour on many occasions. It was a deadly but powerful combination.

Beckman's team had arrived within an hour of Casey's call. He gave them instructions to pack up all Intel that connected Daniel Shaw to his father Franco Kovac and Colonel Klinger. Casey called in a favour to have Colonel Klinger picked up and arrested. As the mine was being examined Casey went in search of Chuck and Laura. He found them sitting in the office that Chuck and Sarah had found the first day they'd entered the mine. Laura was still very emotional and Chuck was trying to hide his feelings but Casey saw him wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. "Beckman's men have arrived. I called in a favour to have Colonel Klinger arrested so we can go back to the hotel."

"I can't," Chuck replied. "I need to find Sarah."

Casey stopped Chuck when he headed towards the door. "We'll find her but you're in no state of mind to do that now. You need to get some sleep. We have no idea where Shaw has taken her. We need to go over the Intel we picked up down stairs."

"Charles, I mean Chuck, Casey is right," Laura piped up. "Sarah needs you to be stay strong. You need to get some rest. I know that you care for my daughter. I could see it in your eyes when I entered the room and when I saw you in Prague."

Chuck looked at her. "Nothing happened in Prague!"

Laura smiled. "I know you wouldn't take advantage of her then or now. You love her and knowing that my daughter is taken care of by a man like you makes me very proud. It makes her dad and your parents very happy."

"Why would my parents care who I was in love with?"

Casey pulled up a chair and lit a cigar. "This should be good!"

"Remember when you and your dad came down to San Diego for the weekend and you and Lisa ... I mean Sarah ... were in the tree house? We were talking as parents and we all thought that it would be nice if by chance you two got together. It would make the whole process easier."

Chuck frowned. "Process?"

"Do you remember anything about that weekend or around that time?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I remember the tree house and camping under the stars with my dad, some stuff that Sarah and I talked about but nothing big or of any importance. I still don't know why you're so set on me remembering my childhood and if Sarah and I had a connection back then. I don't have a lot of very fond memories of my life with my dad so anything that involved him is very limited." He stood up. "Casey I think its time that we headed back to the hotel. I'm feeling very tired all of a sudden. And we better get your arm taken care of."

Casey exhaled his cigar smoke and stood up.

Laura watched them walk towards the door then she said, "I'll stop by in the morning."

"Do you know which hotel we are staying at?" Casey asked trying to be civil.

"I'll find you," Laura assured him. "Good day Major Casey."

"Good day Laura."

Laura walked out of the office then turned back to Casey. "Major?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Does Chuck love my daughter as much as he says he does?"

"Probably more," Casey chuckled. "I don't know when it happened but it did and since then they have done nothing but protect each other so you need not worry about them. Chuck will go to great lengths to get what he wants and Sarah isn't who she is by mistake. She had to learn it from someone." Casey gave Laura a hardy smile.

"Thank you." Laura knew that her daughter had turned into a strong woman and that she had trained her well. Naturally she was worried about her but she knew that wherever Lisa was she would not give up without a fight.

**Hotel outskirts of Vientiane Laos 05:30 hrs **

Chuck entered the hotel room and went to fridge. He grabbed two beers and tossed one to Casey then he walked over to the window and twisted the cap on his own beer. After two swigs he put the bottle down.

Casey sat down and put his feet up. He wanted to lighten up the already heavy-laden room. "So you and Walker huh?"

Chuck took another swig of his beer but didn't reply.

"Have you two been seeing each other long? Hiding the Cannoli, have we?" Casey asked trying not to smirk.

"I don't kiss and tell," Chuck replied.

"But you do kiss her right?"

Chuck frowned at him. "Is this eleventh grade?"

"With a girl like Walker I had to ask even if I knew that something was going on between you two. You denied it how many times?"

"I had my reasons Casey."

"I know, but remember after the Lon Kirk mission I knew that there was something going on then."

"Nope sorry long before that."

Casey sat up. "Really before that?"

"Yeah, if you really want to know it was the night that Bryce returned. Sarah kissed me because she ... we ... thought that the capsule was a bomb about to go off."

"Wow, this whole time you've had feelings for Walker?"

Chuck nodded.

"It all makes sense now," Casey said. "Walker reacting to you getting shot wasn't just because you two were partners, she really had feelings for you."

Chuck topped his beer off. He looked at the stars and the moon that were starting to appear in the night sky. He hoped that wherever Sarah was she was thinking of him too. He decided to sleep in Sarah's bed that night.

Casey had no objections.

Chuck said his goodnights and closed the door behind him. He walked around the room; the smell of Sarah lingered in the air and in her clothes as Chuck held them near his face. He wanted to be with her but that wasn't possible. He looked through her suitcase and came across a photo of him and her. It was taken months after they had become partners. They had to pretend to be a couple that day and the cover had stuck. He was surprised that Sarah had held onto that picture. He sighed, undressed and slid under the covers. He grabbed the pillow and leaned into it. He could smell Sarah's wonderful scent in the pillow. Memories of the time he'd spent his first 24-hour detail in her hotel room invaded his thoughts. She'd come out of the bathroom with her hair still wet from her shower. That led to other memories of tender moments they'd shared since he'd met her. He stared at the photo till his eyes could no longer stay open.

Chuck heard the door of the hotel room open and he had to remind himself of where he was. He was in Sarah's bed but she wasn't with him. He got dressed and headed out.

Casey sat at the table with three cups of coffee. Laura had just picked up the third cup. She wasn't lying when she said that she'd be by in the morning. "Good morning Chuck."

Chuck grabbed his cup. He didn't say anything till he had his first sip.

Casey waited till Chuck swallowed. "Laura also brought us breakfast."

Chuck sat down and opened up the containers. He was surprised to find pancakes.

"I made them myself," Laura said. "The Chinese people haven't quite figure out the importance of pancakes in one's diet."

"Thanks!" Chuck said as he indulged in one of his favourite meals.

After breakfast Casey cleared the table while Chuck started on finding Sarah. He went for his computer and started a search for Sarah's beacon hoping that she'd had time to set it off. He started the program just in case the signal had been triggered.

Casey grabbed the USB drives from Chuck's backpack and started downloading the files.

Laura was amazed of what Chuck could do. The more she observed the more she saw Stephen in Chuck. She remembered back in the day when Stephen was sitting behind his computer plugging away at his attempts to create the intersect. Chuck's mannerisms were so much like his father's that it made her chuckle.

"I am glad I can amuse you."

"Sorry Chuck I was just thinking. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, not right now."

Laura got up and started looking at the pages that Chuck and Sarah had found with the key. The key had been found but not the box which meant that it had to be in the third mine. Pictures were found in the first mine indicating that Chuck and Sarah knew each other. The second mine had the key in it so that left the third mine to house the box. Hopefully Chuck would find the box. Laura knew that Mary Bartowski wouldn't let her husband nor her friend down. So far her attempts on hiding these important items had been pretty good and knowing that Chuck would eventually figure them out made her realize that that the prophecy would come true and it would change the world. She got up with the papers from the mine that came with the key.

When Chuck saw Laura holding the papers they'd found in the mine he regarded her with suspicion. When she placed the key down on the table he quickly grabbed it.

"Chuck, you can trust me."

"Can I?" He asked. "You disappeared from your daughter's life. You're supposedly friends with my dad. You took an interest in our lives and followed us. You took pictures of us. Why?"

"In time it will all become clear," Laura replied.

"I guess we're all good at keeping secrets, aren't we? I thought that Bryce couldn't be trusted but I have to tell you that right now you're right at the top of my list as the person I least trust."

"We don't have time to argue about who said what or who promised what," Laura said. "Shaw took my daughter and we need to get her back. He doesn't know who shot his mother or that you're Stephen's son. You need to find Sarah and protect her for me. You need to fulfill the prophecy."

"What prophecy?" Chuck stopped in his tracks and turned to face Laura.

"It's time," she replied. **"The truth is in the lyrics."**

Chuck recalled hearing that line before. Suddenly he started to flash; he saw many pictures of Sarah when she was a kid standing beside his dad and her parents; there were flashes of his dad telling him stories when they were camping under the stars then suddenly there was an image of him uploading the intersect when he was a kid followed by puzzles , hieroglyphics, ancient prophecies, white tigers and white swans and the big dipper. There were so many flashes that it hurt Chuck's head. He cried out and buried his face in his hands.

Casey ran over to him. He looked at Laura. "What did you do?"

"I told him what he needed to hear," she replied calmly.

"And that was?"

"I told him what his dad wanted him to remember. It was a phrase that his dad put in the intersect to allow Chuck to proceed with the prophecy. Why is he reacting like this?"

"We don't know," Casey replied. "When he has a lot of flashes his brain can't keep up for some reason. Chuck thinks that because this is new to him his brain is trying to compensate for the large amounts of data. He thinks that whoever gave Bryce the intersect to give to him didn't know how it would actually work. It might have looked good on paper but in reality not so much."

Laura watched Chuck. The intersect Stephen had designed might have some quirks but it was doing what he'd programmed it to do. She kept an eye on Chuck until he came out of his haze.

Casey tossed Chuck a bottle of water and some aspirin.

Chuck hesitated about taking them.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"It's no big deal," Chuck replied. "It's just that Sarah is usually here to give me the aspirin. I know it sounds corny but.."

"Not at all," Laura replied. "It sounds sweet ... very domesticated ... very couple like."

Chuck smiled then tossed a couple of aspirin in his mouth and took a big swig of water.

"Do the aspirins help?" Laura asked.

"Not really," he replied. "My brain is always on. The pills just numb the pain from that of a big drum to a slight rumble. It's just enough to allow me to work and function. Sarah can sometimes keep me from freaking out. She has a way of calming me down which helps to keep the pain at bay."

"You really do care about my daughter, don't you?"

Chuck took another sip of his water. "In the beginning it wasn't easy. It took her a long time to trust me enough to let me in. We had a lot of back and forth ..." He smiled. "We were your typical 'will they won't they' couple. Sarah was very driven professionally and that was a big attraction when I first met her because my life wasn't going anywhere and she gave me hope that I could actually make something of myself. I had the family and friends that she was missing in her own life which attracted her to me. Sarah taught me how to be a spy and I helped her find her inner fun so to speak." He chuckled. "She didn't let me in completely until recently and we still have a long way to go before we can consider ourselves a proper couple but we're getting there. Finding out that we knew each other as kids is something of an added complication to an already complicated relationship but we love each other so I'm hoping that it will be enough to see us through these difficult times."

"I never realized how hard it's been for her," Laura admitted.

Chuck nodded. "Sarah has a lot of secrets. Her childhood wasn't exactly the kind that fairytales are made of. She spent most of her childhood on the run with her dad, as you well know. It was all she knew for a long time. When she became a spy she realized that she'd found something she was good at but even that hasn't worked out like she thought it would. Her whole life has been a combination of lies and stretched truths especially the day she had to complete her Red Test. That was the worst day of her life. She actually thought that she'd killed a person."

Laura sighed. "I know ... it hurt her deeply ... I watched her for days after that but lost track of her when she left Lisbon."

"Until you took these," Chuck said picking up the photos.

"Yes," Laura replied. "It was the only way I could verify your identities."

"But how did Kovac get wind of it? How did he know about the mines and the Intel?"

Laura shrugged. "I don't know. Have you heard of Fulcrum?"

Chuck flashed then said, "Sandstorm."

"You flashed again didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Your dad was right," Laura said giving him a warm smile. "The intersect works, Sarah found you and Bryce got the message to you."

Chuck looked sad.

"What's wrong?"

"Bryce is dead."

"I'm sorry," Laura said softly. "That was never part of the plan."

"It never is," Chuck replied as images of Bryce lying on the ground with a bullet in him flashed in front of his eyes. "It's a little ironic to say the least."

"Charles, you should know that your dad asked Bryce to watch over you. He asked him to protect you at any cost."

Chuck sighed. "It was a high price to pay to save my sorry ass."

"Don't say that," Laura retorted. "You have a far greater purpose in life and Bryce knew that. The world needs you Chuck and Bryce did what he had to do in order to help you fulfil your destiny."

Laura told Chuck the real reason for this mission, why he and Sarah had been destined to meet and how the prophecy had been set in motion the day Stephen had told Chuck and Sarah about the prophecy. It was written that their paths would someday cross again so that they could right the wrongs of the world. Both sets of parents had set the stars in motion but the powers of the white swan and tiger were up to Chuck and Sarah.

Laura answered Chuck's questions about the intersect as best she could. "Copper has an electrical property and when exploited into copper wires devices such as electromagnetics, integrated circuits and printed circuit boards you can create things like micro chips. ICs are integrated circuits or monolithic integrated circuits or ..."

"Micro chips,_"_ Chuck finished for her.

"That's right," Laura replied smiling at him. "The components can be integrated and wired into bi-dimensional or tri-dimensional compact grids or in your case the brain."

Casey sat up straight suddenly a lot more interested in what Laura was saying.

"The CIA developed the first Central Processing Unit (CPU) on one chip by 1968 and their engineers went on to create things like LEDs, lasers, solar cells, analog and digital circuits (cell phones) that could house intel and could be downloaded by an agent at a later date or time. They figured out that it could create random access to memory or in your case flashes but the attempts proved that these memories were faster than your flashes. Through the manufacturing process they were able to create plates that were no bigger than a compact disc."

Chuck remembered the disc in his jacket.

"These plates were capable of holding thousands of files and could be downloaded into an agent's brain plus smaller units that mostly contained circuits included four common sections: the manufacturer's name or logo, part numbers and batches of serial numbers. A four-digit code that identified when the chip was manufactured. The manufacturing date was commonly represented as a two digit code that included the year followed by another two digit code of the week, such that a part of the code 8341 was manufactured the in the week 41 or 1983 or approx Oct 1983. By the 1980's programmable logic devices were developed re the intersect by your Dad and the project was called the Omaha project. These devices contained circuits whose logical function and connectivity could be programmed by the user – your Dad - rather than being fixed by the manufacturer which in this case was Fornax."

Chuck was captivated by everything Laura was telling him.

"All these inventions allowed your dad to create the intersect but when Cygnus was getting off the ground Stephen had to shut down the Omaha Project. He secured the files and sent them to Bryce. I had to get Sarah out of the hands of Fornax hence her red test. Little did I know that she'd end up protecting you."

Chuck smiled.

"Your dad tried to prevent them manufacturing the CPUs. He didn't want his hard work to end up in the hands of Fulcrum so he hid the CPUs in the CIA back files till he was able to get them out. He also managed to shut down all the mines until recently. Kathy Shaw was hired by the CIA but ended up hooking up with Franco Kovac. She changed sides along with the Intel. Kovac's goal was to create or re-establish Operation Cygnus. He used a dried up business such as Fornax and made millions in mining copper but he couldn't let the CIA or the army know what he was up to so he had the mission changed over 20 years ago."

"Klinger," Casey interjected.

Laura nodded. "The real CIA got wind that Kathy was the leak. Your mom and I heard about Kathy's involvement – we were what you guys now call the CAT Squad. When I heard that Lisa ... I mean Sarah ..." She smiled. "I can't quite get use to her new name."

"That's okay, I think I would struggle just as much if I had to call her Lisa."

Laura smiled. "When I heard that Sarah had joined the CIA and Graham wanted her to shoot Kathy I couldn't let it happen so I took care of it myself. I killed my partner to protect the identity of my daughter and your mom who was my best friend, Mary. Your mom is a spy Chuck. Shaw doesn't know that Sarah didn't shoot his mom so his revenge is very real. Daniel and his dad, Franco, despise your Dad - that's why Daniel wants Sarah dead."

"And my dad? Was he a spy?"

"Yes and no."

Chuck looked confused. "Either he was or he wasn't."

"Your dad worked with us as a part of the CAT Squad. He was involved with the CIA but as an analyst. When we were all in University your mom and I were recruited as agents and your dad was recruited as a scientist/engineer. When your mom started going on missions your dad tagged along. It was risky because the CIA frowned upon their agents being in relationships. The only time I could be with Sarah's dad was when we needed him for a mission." She smiled. "Your mom and I made sure that all our missions included our 'analysts' till one day your mom was called to go on a mission and never came back."

"I don't really remember her," Chuck admitted.

"None of us dreamed it would turn out the way it did," Laura replied. "Your dad left you and Ellie to search for your mom. I left Sarah and Jack because the last mission I was on backfired. If I hadn't left them they could have ended up being killed. Working for the CIA can be satisfying but it also breaks you down and rips at the core of your being. You start to believe that your missions are your life and what you once believed was real starts to fade into the spiralling motions of crime, passion, hate, right and wrong. You start a new day but it quickly gets swept up into weeks and years and by the time you figure out what you're doing it's too late – your child is all grown up and your marriage has become nothing more than a signature on a piece of paper."

"I don't know what to say," Chuck said blown away by everything he'd heard.

"There's nothing you can say," Laura replied. "I regret a lot Chuck but I did what I did for my family. Your parents are doing the same for you and Ellie. They are out there and I believe that we will see them again soon. Your dad has been monitoring this whole thing from somewhere. I don't know where but what I do know is that he is telling you something and maybe the plan that he had envisioned long ago isn't making sense to you and Sarah now but it will. I was there when this started as an idea and I have been part of this ever since. You need to trust me Chuck. You need to trust that you and Sarah are destined to be together and fulfill this prophecy. Whether you believe it or not the world is waiting."

"I don't know what to believe any more," Chuck replied. "It's a little hard to take in." He shuffled through the papers on the table. He had to find Sarah fast. He needed to decrypt the codes with or without the intersect.

"Your dad always said that Fulcrum was like killing the arm of the monster. If they were just in the Los Angeles area we could have shut them down years ago but we're in Laos and the monster is still running wild."

Chuck looked at the papers and globe they'd found in the mine. He scanned sections of the paper and when they appeared on the screen of his laptop he grouped the numbers and letters according to strings that had the same length. He knew that whatever strand he came up with it would be a cryptic code. He sat back trying to decipher his findings but came up blank. He typed the codes in alphabetical order but still came up with nothing. He stared at the screen waiting for the letters to tell him something ... anything. He typed them again and highlighted any that were repetitive. The letters 'UIF' stood out.

The more Chuck looked at the letters the more he was beginning to figure them out. He remembered spending time with his dad doing lots of puzzles. He had never liked the cryptic puzzles but his dad had told him that one day knowing how to solve them would come in handy if he wanted to keep secrets. He looked at the letters UIF wondering what his dad was trying to tell him. He crossed-referenced them and came up with a decoding method that used the letter before the one you were decoding. UIF was suddenly replaced with the letters THE. Chuck smiled when he realized that he had just figured out the code. He typed the rest of the letters into the programme then sat back to read the decrypted message:

_UIF/ QSPQIFBZ/ IZT/ CFFO/ UPME/ UIFZ/ CBSSMFE/ SIQPVHI/ UIF/ BHFT/_

_**The prophecy has been told- thy battled through the ages **_

_CVU/ TUJMM/ OFJUIFS/ GPSDF/ XPVME/ ZHFME/ UIF/_

_**But still neither force would yield – The **_

_QFPQMF/ XFSF/ EJWEJEFE/ FWFSZ/ TPVK/ Z/_

_**people were divided every soul a**_

_CBUUMFGJFME/_

_**Battlefield**_

_XIJUFTVBO/_

_**White Swan**_

_CSJOH/ USVUI/ BOE/ VOEFSTUBOEJOH/ GPMMZ/ BOE/_

_**Bring truth and understanding, folly and **_

_XJTEPN/ QSFDJVT/ HJGUT/ CDZPOE/ DPNQBSF/_

_**Wisdom, precious gifts beyond compare**_

_UP/ UIF/ IFBSUPG/ DZHOVT/ GFBSTPNF/_

_**To the heart of Cygnus fearsome **_

_GPSDF/ XF/ TFS/ PVS/ DPVSTF/ TQHSBMMFE/_

_**Force we set our course spiralled**_

_UISPVHI/ SIBS/ SHNFMFTT/ TQBDF/ _

_**through that timeless space**_

_J/ IBWF/ NFNPSZ/ BXBSFOFTT/ CVUJIBWF/OP/ TIBQF/_

_**I have memory awareness but I have no shape**_

_PS/ GPSN/ J/ ZN/ EFBE/ BOE/ ZFU/VOCPSO/_

_**or form – I am dead and yet unborn **_

_TJY/ TUBST/ PG/ UIF/ OPSUIFSO/ DSPTT/ UIF/ YSBZ/_

_**Six stars of the Northern Cross – the x-ray**_

_JT/ IFS/ TJSFO/ TPOH/_

_**Is her siren song?**_

_NZ/ TIJQ/ DBOOPH/ SFTJTU/ IFS/ MPOH/_

_**My ship cannot resist her long **_

_OFBSFS/ UP/ NZ/ EFBEMZ/ HPBM/ VOUJM/ UIF/ CMBDL/ IPME/ _

_**Nearer to my deadly goal until the black hole **_

_HBJOT/ DPOUSPM/_

_**Gains control**_

**Somewhere in the Northern part of Europe**

Sarah is dragged into a windowless room with a faint glowing light. She is strapped to the chair that had seen better days. The ropes were very tight but Sarah figured that eventually they'd be loose enough to break free. She had to stay alert even with the pain. She could taste the foreign substance that still lingered in her mouth. She knew that she had to been given something for the 'ride'. She didn't know how long she'd been out or what time of day is was or if she was still in Laos.

She held onto the feeling and hope that this time her saviour was very close. Not like the time in Columbia. Her hopes of being rescued had been stepped on when Bryce left her to die but there was no comparison between Bryce and Chuck. She knew that Chuck would come for her. He wouldn't stop till she was safe. Her knight in shining armour would save her. She also remembered that Bryce was dead ... this time for good. Her partner and ex lover was dead. She felt sad but her loss was that of a co-worker and partner. She no longer had feelings for Bryce; they had been washed away long ago and had been filled with a much deeper attraction and respect for Chuck Bartowski. She smiled to herself when she thought of his name and even though she was in pain she still smiled. She wasn't sure what hurt most; being physically hurt or being apart from Chuck. W_here are you Chuck? Where am I?_

**Hotel outskirts of Vientiane Laos – mid afternoon**

Laura was sleeping on the couch holding the file that Chuck had given her to read. It was something to do while the two men tried to figure out where Sarah was.

Chuck sat with Casey going over the clues he'd decrypted. They tried to make sense of the riddle but came up empty. Chuck pushed his chair away from the table and headed outside. He welcomed the cool air on his skin but every minute he took to regroup was a minute gone in finding Sarah.

Casey leaned against the wall watching Chuck. He could tell that he was giving up. There were still too many pieces to the puzzle unanswered. Chuck was smart but he was starting to doubt his capabilities. Casey walked over to him. "Remember when you played that game of chess on one of our missions?"

"How could I forget? Those guns were pointed right at me but what does a game of chess have to do with anything?"

"Chuck ..." Casey paused. "There are times when a well played pawn is more powerful than a King ... that a pen is mightier than a sword. Maybe Laura's right. Even Bryce heaven forbid had a point. When you received the intersect it wasn't a mistake," Casey said hoping that he was saying the right thing. "Having the intersect is a gift that adds to what you already have but you're smart with or without it. Remember when I told you that Sarah was missing and you found her in Columbia or when I told you that Stanford didn't let just anybody in?"

Chuck sat back pondering what Casey had said. A light suddenly sparked in Chuck's brain and he knew that he had enough to bring Shaw down. He was Stephen J Bartowski's son and it would and always had been aces. He nodded. "You're right Casey, we can do this."

"That's the Chuck I know," Casey replied proud of the agent Chuck had become.

"You're getting good at these talks," Chuck said grinning at Casey. "Maybe it's a sign that you have a gift as a life coach."

Chuck and Casey looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Nah." They both started laughing. When they went back inside the room Chuck saw Laura holding his laptop. "What's wrong?"

She showed held the laptop out to him. "I'm not sure."

Chuck took it from her. When he saw the screen blinking a code he knew it could only mean one thing; Sarah had set off her beacon. He sat down and started tapping the keyboard going through programmes with impressive speed as he searched for Sarah's location. He looked at the map then at Laura and Casey. "She's somewhere in Northern Europe," he said disappointed that he hadn't been able to pinpoint her exact location.

"It's ok Chuck," Laura replied. "At least we're a little closer than we were a few minutes ago."

"She's right Chuck," Casey chimed in. "In time there will be another sign that will come our way. I just know it." His encrypted phone started ringing and he paused to answer it. "Casey secure." He listened then said, "Yes General right away."

"Who was that?" Chuck asked.

"General Beckman. She wants to see all three of us pronto."

Chuck grabbed his things then followed Laura and Casey to the truck.


	12. Chapter 12 More than meets the eye

**Another adventure for Chuck and Sarah – A thousand thanks again go out to MRW for her time on editing etc…and her encouragement to finish this story. I planned to wrap this story up in this chapter but as the writing progressed it didn't happen – so will lucky #13 be that chapter?**

**Thanks again for all the reviews/alerts and for all of you **

**who take the time to read FF. **

**I still don't OWN CHUCK – and my Friday nights are very boring…**

**Chapter 12 – More than meets the eye**

**American Consulate - Vientiane Laos 17:00 hrs**

Chuck and Casey waited while Laura paced the floor. She hadn't seen the General in a very long time. In fact not since she'd been an up and coming ranking officer.

"General Beckman will see you now," a voice echoed from the long hallway.

Casey had never liked visiting consulates. He found them too political but a memory entered his mind of the day he'd had the privilege to meet US President Ronald Regan in Russia. That had ended up being one of many highlights of his career but this time waiting to see General Beckman on foreign soil didn't hold the same appeal.

Chuck, Casey and Laura entered the conference room and waited for Beckman. When she finally appeared they all rose to greet her. Despite her lack of stature the General towered over them in presence and she had one thing on her mind. Why was Laura still around and where were the 'others'? She sat down at the long conference table, greeted Chuck and Casey in her usual manner then turned to Laura.

The two women studied each other for a long moment almost as if they were preparing to do battle then Beckman said, "Laura, it has been a long time."

"Indeed Diane."

Chuck and Casey looked at each other preparing to hit the deck as the battle commenced. Why hadn't Laura addressed Beckman in the appropriate manner? Did they know each other?

"So I guess we're looking at twenty years ... give or take?" Beckman inquired.

"Pretty close," Laura agreed cordially. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good," Beckman replied guarding her next words carefully. "So I see you found my boy Chuck?"

Laura nodded. "I've been watching him and Sarah for some time."

"I'm shocked to see you at all. The last time we spoke you and your 'friends' made it clear that we would never see or hear from you again."

"Things changed," Laura replied. "My daughter got involved with the CIA and so did Chuck." She glanced at the major and smiled. "Casey was just an added bonus."

Casey gave her a slight smile of acknowledgement.

Beckman nodded. "When did you resurface?"

"Recently."

"That's a little vague Laura."

"I'm being careful. The walls have eyes and ears."

Chuck couldn't help noticing that Sarah's mom was a lot like his dad and he wondered if paranoia ran in both families.

"You don't need to worry about others hearing us. Most of the people that you teamed up with or knew are no longer with us or are in different fields and if they were around they wouldn't be here in this room. I made no indication when I left the U.S. that I was meeting with Chuck or Major Casey or, in my wildest dreams, seeing you. Firstly, I had no intention of ever seeing you again but when Casey told me that you were with them I quickly changed my mind. I'll admit that I was curious to see you again although I don't know many people with a shall we say 'famous reputation' like yourself. I would say that your daughter is quickly climbing up there and not to be boastful but Team Bartowski is one of my best teams in the field."

"I have seen firsthand what they are capable of and what they have accomplished," Laura acknowledged. "They are our children after all with the exception of you Major Casey but you're welcome to join our family."

Casey blushed but otherwise maintained his poker face.

Chuck stood up. "General, this is all fine and dandy but why are we here and not looking for Sarah?"

Beckman turned to him. "I need you to tell me what you know."

Chuck sat down. "When I was around seven years old my dad told me a story about a prophecy that had the Chinese people believing that a White Tiger from the west would come and protect the people of the world. The prophecy also told about a warrior who had many lives. One life was that of a White Swan whose actions of the heart would silence the evils of the world. He would use his knowledge of the mind to eliminate evil and would one day team up with the White Tiger. If the Swan ever had to save the life of the White Tiger she would be forever grateful, the world would be balanced and all foes of evil would crumble and die leaving those who were destined to reign forever in love.

Chuck fidgeted with the pen that was lying in front of him on the table then he said, "My dad told Sarah the same story. I knew her as Lisa back then. It wasn't until recently when I flashed on our pasts that I discovered we were supposed to be the White Tiger and White Swan in the prophecy. My dad built the original intersect over twenty years ago. He knew it had good intel and that it could do amazing things if used for good but when chatter started flying around my dad, Laura and my mom decided to do something about it."

"I'm guessing that the third member of the CAT Squad, Kathy Shaw, indulged in a little more pillow talk than was necessary which allowed Franco Kovac, who was working with my dad on the intersect, to create his own intersect. Operation Cygnus was formed and was solely funded by the profits from the company Fornax. Fornax used old copper mines to make money and the smelting of copper was used to produce circuit boards to create portable intersects. I haven't had time to really look at the items we picked up from the mine. I have a feeling that what we stumbled across is the final step for Kovac and Shaw in creating a version of the intersect that could be mass produced which would allow them to download their own data and intel into multiple agents."

Chuck stood up and started to pace. "My dad, being paranoid which incidentally paid off, hid the intersect files and data in the main frame of the CIA but when his security system picked up on Fulcrum's fast advancing methods, Sarah's red test, Stanford and this prophesy he had all his files downloaded to the DNI which Bryce sent to me."

"So Kovac didn't have the data to complete his version of the intersect," Casey said.

"That's right," Chuck replied. "When they heard that Bryce had downloaded the files into his brain they sent Tommy after him. You shot him but not before he sent them to me."

Casey nodded. "No wonder the prophesy is so important."

Chuck sat down again. "I don't understand."

"I was stationed here for years and didn't think that any Chinese Prophesy had its merits especially given our American culture and upbringing but the more I hear what you're saying and what your dad created ... all the secret messages, codes and song lyrics ... it blows my mind. Can't you see Chuck ... this is becoming all too real even for me. It's hitting too close for comfort. If Kovac knew that all it took was your dad's data to create his very own version of the intersect and if his son Daniel is involved, why would Shaw shoot Bryce? Wouldn't he know that his dad would freak out? That the only link to this whole thing would end as soon as that trigger was pulled? And taking Sarah only solves half the problem for him. Shaw still thinks that she killed his mother but what about Operation Cygnus? How is their version of the intersect going to work without the data?"

Chuck sat up and pushed his chair away from table. "Casey you're brilliant. You're right! Why would Shaw kill Bryce when his dad knew that Bryce was supposedly the only way that Operation Cygnus could proceed with its plans? Unless…" He paused. "Unless he knows that there's another way besides me. There has to be…." He stood up and started to pace again.

Beckman, Laura and Casey stared at each other then looked at Chuck. As they watched him processing the data all three hoped that he would come up with a plan.

Suddenly Chuck stopped pacing and grabbed his computer. He brought up the cryptic message that his dad had left hidden in the mine then he turned to the other three. "Look at this final message."

_**The prophecy has been told- thy battled through the ages **_

_**But still neither force would yield – The **_

_**people were divided every soul a**_

_**Battlefield**_

_**White Swan**_

_**Bring truth and understanding, folly and **_

_**Wisdom, precious gifts beyond compare**_

_**To the heart of Cygnus fearsome **_

_**Force we set our course spiralled**_

_**through that timeless space**_

_**I have memory awareness but I have no shape**_

_**or form – I am dead and yet unborn **_

_**Six stars of the Northern Cross – the x-ray**_

_**Is her siren song?**_

_**My ship cannot resist her long **_

_**Nearer to my deadly goal until the black hole **_

_**Gains control**_

"These words come from a selection of songs from one of my dad's favourite bands Rush," Chuck told them.

Laura knew that Stephen had used the lyrics to get his message across. She also knew that Chuck, being his father's son, would figure it out. She recalled them listening to those albums multiple times when they were in college but she'd never imagined that those words would be true to what they were dealing with right now.

"When I decoded this message it occurred to me that each word separately is just a word but when I took the words from several Rush songs and put them together I realized that my dad had created a message that if anyone else came across it they wouldn't be able to make sense of it. What got to me weren't the words, which I will figure out, but why would my dad hid this stuff in a crate headed for Sweden."

**Underground Bunker outside Kiruna Sweden near the Norwegian Border**

Sarah tried to wiggle her wrists loose from the binds that held her wrists to the chair. Either Shaw had done a good job or she was weaker than she'd thought. She didn't want to give Shaw any credit nor did she want to admit defeat.

She looked around the room again. Nothing had changed since the last time she'd scanned it but she lived in hope that she'd missed something the first time round that would maybe give her a clue as to where she was. She noticed that the temperature had changed since she'd first arrived. So she knew that she wasn't in Laos. She had managed to trigger her beacon and hoped that Chuck would eventually find her. She wriggled her wrists again trying to loosen the ropes. She managed to loosen the spindle of the arm of the chair a little. In time she thought she could force the arm off allowing her to get her arm free and have some item of defence to use if she needed it.

When she heard a door opening behind her Sarah cringed. She hated not being able to see what was going on behind her. Whatever had opened had sent a brisk cold wind through the room she was in. It was refreshing yet eerie at the same time. She heard determined steps approaching her from her left side and craned her neck trying to see who or what had entered the room. She sighed when she saw Shaw thinking that it wasn't anyone of any importance to her.

Shaw gave her an evil grin and said, "You're awake. Did you sleep well?"

Sarah didn't acknowledge him.

Annoyed he leaned in and grabbed her face with his gloved right hand. "I asked you a question!" He shook Sarah's face demanding an answer. "Well?"

Sarah begrudgingly answered. "I slept fine."

Shaw stood up. "Are you hungry?"

"I brought you some soup," one of the soldiers said as he placed the tray on the table next to Sarah and immediately left the room again.

Sarah looked at the tray. The soup looked appetizing but as she didn't know what they'd put in it she decided not to take any chances.

"What you're not hungry?" Shaw asked. "I find that surprising."

Shaw watched Sarah eying the food on the tray then he said, "I know you're hungry."

Sarah glanced at him then looked away not wanting to give into her hunger.

"Oh I get it," Shaw smirked. "You think that I've poisoned the soup. It did cross my mind but when I thought about it I realized that I would get much more pleasure out of killing you through torture than through something so easy like poison."

Sarah stared at him in disbelief.

He let out an evil laugh and smirked as he said, "You don't believe me."

"Why should I?" Sarah said, the look on his face reinforcing the fact that she hated smirkers.

"Touche," Shaw said. "I'll prove to you that what I brought is safe for you to eat." He grabbed the spoon and dragged it across the top of the soup and emptied the contents into his mouth. "That's pretty good soup. Tomato based with a slight tinge of basil and oregano. It needs a little more salt but it's not too bad." He placed the spoon down and walked behind Sarah's chair then he leaned in and whispered. "Enjoy, this could be your last meal." He shoved Sarah's chair around and slammed it into the table then he loosened the strap on her right wrist giving her just enough slack to allow her to reach the spoon and feed herself. "I'll leave you to enjoy your meal but I will be back." He started to walk away the turned back to her and said, "Walker, just a thought. I may let you live if you help me."

Sarah sat up and twisted her head to her right to look at Shaw.

"I might postpone your demise if you tell me what you and Agent Carmichael were doing in the mine. I know that you came across some Intel that could help me. I recall a crate being opened and the items that you took were a coded message and a globe." He watched as Sarah put down her spoon. "So, you do know what I'm talking about. Good. I'll let you eat but think about what you're going to tell me. You see, there's a code that I need and I think that you are the one who can enlighten me as to what it is. Enjoy your meal Walker."

Sarah heard the door open and close with the same cold breeze lingering throughout the room. She tried to recall if Chuck had told her anything about a code but didn't recall anything. Knowing that she had to keep her strength up she ate the soup as she went over everything that she had found out in the last few days. She'd found her mom and they'd found the second mine as well as the key and globe. There was a lot of intel and in the midst of it she also remembered one hot moment in the shower with Chuck. It wasn't the most romantic moment that they'd shared but at the time it had been what they both needed. As her solace and memories ended Shaw returned.

"Well I guess you were hungry. Good. I wouldn't want to kill you on an empty stomach. So do you have some answers for me?"

Sarah knew nothing of the coded message he was referring to but she knew she had to buy herself some time until she figured it out or Chuck and Casey rescued her. She had enough slack in the straps to allow her to move a little but as soon as Shaw realized it he pulled down on the straps repositioning her wrists to the arms of the chair.

"Just in case you get any ideas of making a run for it," he said smirking at her.

Sarah tugged at her wrists trying to get loose.

Shaw grinned thoroughly enjoying playing this little game with her. He folded his arms across his chest and asked, "What can you tell me?"

"Nothing! I know nothing."

He shook his head, "Wrong answer Agent Walker!" He slapped her across the face.

Sarah fell back then forward in her chair but she managed to sit up again.

Shaw brushed her hair from her face and said, "See what you made me do! You can save all of this torture if you just tell me what I need to know!"

"I don't know anything," Sarah insisted.

"You're asking for everything that's coming to you – more than what my mom had coming to her," Shaw bit out. "You took my mom's life and now that you have the chance to save your own pathetic life you won't do it!"

Sarah knew she had to act fast because she could see Shaw's hand starting to form a fist. "Ok, I'll tell you what you need to know."

Shaw smirked and put down his hand. "Wise choice Agent Walker!"

"All I know is that the paper consisted of drawings for some type of circumference or data collector."

"And?"

"There was a globe."

"You're telling me that you and Agent Carmichael didn't take the time to examine what you found?"

Sarah shook her head. "We were kind of busy!"

"Yeah stealing from me!"

"Sure if you want to keep telling yourself that."

Shaw looked up at the soldier that had brought Sarah's tray of food in. This time he had a satchel tied up with a leather strap. Daniel untied the satchel and unrolled the contents.

Sarah eyed the contents noticing a wide selection of tools and needles with a collection of under the counter medications.

Shaw grabbed a syringe and twisted a needle to the end of the syringe. He ran his fingers across the small vials then back again. "Maybe a little truth serum will help trigger your memory." He motioned to the soldier to come forward.

The solider held Sarah's head back as Shaw strapped the needle head into the vial and aimed it upwards to release the air pressure in the needle. He grabbed Sarah's right arm and positioned the needle into her vein.

Sarah squirmed when she felt the needle pierce her skin and release its contents. She had been trained to withstand most types of truth serum but she didn't underestimate Shaw and hoped that her time in training would prevent her from spilling any important secrets.

Shaw watched as the truth serum started to take effect and he saw Sarah relax. "Good Agent Walker. You relax. I'll be right back."

Sarah took one look at Shaw then everything went black.

**American Consulate - Vientiane Laos 18:00 hrs.**

Chuck brought up Sarah's beacon location.

"Chuck!" Casey yelled as he cautiously walked towards him.

"Major what's going on?"

"General I think that Chuck has figured something out."

"General what did you guys come up with?"

"We did a complete search of our database and we came up with the name of Orion."

Chuck flashed on the name of Orion – images of galaxies, stars, milkways, the Fornax symbol, operation Cygnus and project Omaha, the Celestial globe, and random words, Chinese astronomy – the constellations Fornax lies with in the White Tiger of the West; Fornax Latin for furnace. Cygnus: Northern Hemisphere. Codename: Aquila." Chuck slid to the floor.

Casey rushed over to him.

Beckman didn't know what was happening.

"Casey, they're getting worse but I flashed on a lot of stuff."

"Here let's get you up." Casey helped Chuck get back on his feet and grabbed a chair for him.

Luckily Laura had brought the aspirin that Chuck had in the hotel room. "Do you have some water?"

Beckman walked over the counter, grabbed a bottle of water and headed back to where Chuck was sitting. "Are you ok Chuck? What was that?"

While Chuck was taking the pills Casey interjected, "General, honestly we don't know. Chuck describes it as a brain overload when he has a lot of flashes he can't process the amount of information all at once. He sees the flashes but it's too much for him to handle at one time. They've been getting worse since he got shot ma'am. We're not sure if that has any correlation or not but since we've been here in Laos and dealing with this mission and all the secrets they've become more frequent."

Laura watched as Chuck took the pills. She had to get a hold of Stephen somehow and inform him of the toil that the flashes were taking on his son. She wanted to tell them that Stephen was the man behind the name Orion but that was Stephen's call not hers or so she thought. Chuck was only supposed to know enough information to keep him going on this crusade to fulfill the prophecy with Sarah. He was putting the pieces together quickly and knew that his dad had created the intersect and that the intersect was initially developed for good and not evil but it wouldn't take him long to figure out that his dad and Orion were one and the same person.

Beckman continued to tell them what she knew. "Your dad always found a way to make himself known. We knew that if your dad was involved with the intersect he would make sure that it was in the right hands. We also knew that your dad spent a lot of time with your mom, Laura and Jack Burton. We were also putting the pieces together when we heard the rumors escalating around the CIA's plans for the intersect and the division between the Omaha project and Operation Cygnus. Your dad was the brains behind the Omaha project but when Kovac wanted to start up Operation Cygnus your dad knew that the intersect could fall into the wrong hands and if operation Cygnus got off the ground the world as we know it would no longer exist. He called Cygnus the black hole of the universe so we set our sights on where the leaks could come from. Changes in the chain of commands etc. but we were too late. The files had been transferred to an outside server. By the time our team were able to stop the transfer of these files the DNI had been broken into and Bryce Larkin was our prime suspect. We had our eyes on Bryce Larkin but that didn't work. Major Casey shot him outside the DNI and now he hasn't been seen since he shot you Chuck."

Casey and Chuck both looked at each other.

Chuck walked to the window his head hanging low. "General, Bryce Larkin was killed yesterday by Fulcrum."

Beckman paused. "I didn't know that Chuck, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah whatever." Chuck stared out of the window. "We're wasting time. We have more important things to do than mourn a guy like Bryce Larkin."

Beckman knew that Chuck wasn't ready to discuss Bryce. "Ok Chuck let me continue. We have one lead, codename Orion, but we don't know its connection if any to the original intersect or if the name has anything to do with the Omaha project and Cygnus or Franco Kovac.

Chuck looked at Casey then Laura while Beckman discussed her intel. He knew that Bryce protecting him, the prophesy, the questions, the intersect, him getting shot and Sarah's disappearance were a spiralling mess that was all related to his dad who was possibly Orion. He could hear Beckman talking but his thoughts were focused on trying to comprehend all that he had heard, flashed on and decoded from the last few weeks. He knew that whatever this prophecy was, whether legit or not, he was too far in and there was no turning back now. The wheels had been set in motion the day his dad had told him and Sarah the prophecy but he knew that any Chinese tradition whether true or not had to have some bearing on American culture or world culture for it to be taken seriously. For most Americans anything that wasn't home grown or bred in the US had little chance of surviving or being accepted. The world's view may be more open to the idea that the world's future was part of a plan that was written thousands of years ago whether Christian beliefs or not . To believe that your life was already planned out for you and each step you took was already destined to happen, that one person could be the saviour for the world and to have faith in that person. He knew that anything was possible. If he was given the job he had to uphold what was placed upon him. He snapped out of his stupor to hear Beckman say.

"Your dad was determined to make it possible."

Chuck finally made the connection – Orion was his dad and Aquila had to be connected to the prophecy. He listened to Beckman talk then faced the group. "General?"

Beckman continued to speak.

"General!"

Chuck's tone startled Beckman and she stopped talking.

All eyes were on Chuck.

"I've heard what you've said and what you've found but you're not looking at the whole picture. You have every CIA eye looking at the little pieces of the puzzle but you fail to see that Sarah is still missing and you're hung up on whether this prophesy is true. If it is then you're all wrong. The fact is my dad created this thing." Chuck pointed to his head. "This thing maybe the key to saving the world but for me it has only brought pain and suffering. It has broken up my family, destroyed Sarah's relationship with her family and what my dad conjured up twenty years ago needs to be put to rest. I did not ask to be given this job but one person told me once that some people want to become heroes and others have to be asked to be heroes so right now whatever you have to say save it. I am going to find Sarah then my family and hopefully I can get this thing out of my head. If my dad created the intersect then he can take it out. He is after all Orion."

Beckman looked at Casey then to Laura and back to Chuck.

"Seriously, my dad wasn't the best dad in the world but he was as far as I can tell a very clever man and a scientist to boot. If all this reference to astronomy, Chinese prophesies and Cygnus being the black hole, which theoretically it is, that's a whole other story. Orion was a hunter. The White Swan is called a super-giant White tiger. It's all starting to make sense but I don't have time to deal with that right now. Once I find Sarah then maybe I will get back to solving the other mysteries and puzzles." He grabbed his stuff and left the rest of the team staring after him.

Casey clasped his hands together, nodded then ran after Chuck.

Chuck ran up the stairs to hotel room and threw what he could into his bag.

Casey was in the next room gathering up all their intel.

Laura returned and was on the phone with Beckman making arrangements for the team to enter Sweden unnoticed. She knew that Shaw would have eyes and ears on all airports and train stations near Kiruna.

Chuck grabbed his computer and signalled to Casey that he was ready to hit the road.

Beckman met them at an abandoned airfield, just desolate enough not to set off any alarm bells. She gave Chuck and Casey their final instructions then told them that ties would have to be cut off. She told them to head to Nonbotten which was half way between Kiruna, Sweden and Norway's northern eastern border then to take the train to Kiruna in Sweden.

Sarah's beacon had finally given Chuck the exact coordinates 62° 00' N 15° 00 E'.

Beckman wished the team good luck. As she exited the plane Laura grabbed her arm and handed her an envelope.

Diane looked cautiously at the envelope as she removed the contents. She read the information and nodded.

"Thank you?" Laura whispered. She walked onto the plane's ramp then looked back down to Beckman.

"Keep my boy Chuck safe," Beckman said. "And Casey too. Help them bring your daughter home."

Laura smiled and nodded as the plane's door started to close.

Chuck, Casey and Laura settled down for a very long tiring journey to bring Sarah home and put operation Cygnus to rest for good.

Beckman watched as the plane roared off the runway and disappeared into the night sky. She settled herself into the back seat, pressed a button and the seat in front of her displayed a portable computer tracking system. She opened the envelope up to retrieve the contents. On a single piece of paper was a series of numbers and access codes. She had agreed to do this for Laura but she was unsure of who she would be talking to at the other end of the phone. She made sure that the line was secure following the instructions to a tee. A slight pause drowned the dial tone. A slight hum followed then a ring. A computerized voice came on asking the caller to identify themselves with the codes provided. Beckman typed in the codes then she sat back and waited. Her cell phone rang and she carefully pressed the answer button. "General Beckman."

"It's been a long time Diane," said the female voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes it has!"

"So I am guessing that Laura has met with you?"

"Yes and I have a message for you?"

"So are we to proceed with the plan and are our children safe?"

"Yes and no. Franco Kovac's son Daniel has kidnapped Agent Walker and Major Casey and Chuck are on route to Sweden to locate her. Laura is on board."

"And the intersect?"

"The flashes are overloading Chuck's brain. The amount of data retrieved during a flash is causing him a lot of pain."

"Is he ok?"

"He's a strong young man and very determined. He's a very good agent but we're unsure of the flashes and what they could do to him physically."

"I'll get in touch with Orion to see what he can do for him."

"Chuck knows that Orion is his dad."

The voice paused.

"We knew that one day he'd figure it out. We prepared our children for this day and we will continue to watch over them as much as we can. We just hope that we are not too late in shutting down Kovac, his son and Operation Cygnus for good."

"I better go. There is always more to us agents than meets the eye. You'll have to wait for us to contact you. Thank you Diane for everything."

"Until next time Agent Frost."

"Mary," she said. "Diane please call me Mary."

"Take care Mary."

Diane sat back and grabbed a lighter from the console. She flicked the cap and watched the flames burn away at the contents of the envelope. As the flames engulfed the paper she instructed her driver to leave their current destination.

**Underground Bunker outside Kiruna Sweden near the Norwegian Border**

Sarah was awakened by a bucket of cold water.

Shaw sat on the edge of the table with his leg dangling over the edge.

Sarah looked up and tried to focus.

"Ok ready for twenty questions?"

She didn't respond.

"Question one: your name is Agent Sarah Walker?"

She remained quiet.

"Maybe you didn't hear me! Your name is Agent Sarah Walker!"

When Sarah didn't answer Shaw kicked her chair. "I'm talking to you!"

"Yeah you are and you already know who I am so why would I want to repeat what you already know?"

Shaw took a deep breath. "Ok question number one."

"Sorry you used your first two already. This is question three."

Shaw glared at her not amused then he said, "You're right!" He leaned over and threw a punch to Sarah's left cheek. "I'll be the one who says how many questions I ask not you!"

Sarah spat the blood from her lip. She looked up at him with confidence. "I guess the truth hurts especially when I'm right so I'm guessing the truth serum you gave me is working better than you anticipated. You might want to prepare yourself for what may be coming your way and you may not like the answers you're going to get. It takes a lot for a man to throw a punch to get what he wants. I bet your mom felt the same way with your dad."

"Don't you ever talk about my mom," Shaw yelled. "You lost that right when you pulled the trigger so I'm not going to tell you again, watch your next choice of words or they may be your last."

"If that is the case then I guess you're not going to get the information you want. I'm just telling you the truth – that is what you shot me up with – serum to tell the truth but the truth in that bottle is short of a few truths of its own. You wasted your money on that purchase."

Shaw backed down and paced the floor around Sarah's chair. He could hear the wind from the vents. "You hear that Agent Walker? Pretty soon those sounds will be a distant memory! Where you are right now no one will find you! You're so far from life itself that by the time someone finds you, you'll be old or even dead - whatever comes first so if I were you I would do what I could to save yourself."

"Shaw, don't you see that you're not going to get anything from me as long as I have breath in me? If you want answers they're not going to come from me."

Shaw glared at her. "I will get you to talk." He ordered one of the soldiers to bring his laptop. He placed it on the table for Sarah to see. He tapped into the Laos mines surveillance feed. He knew one way to get Sarah to talk and that was to make her believe that Chuck was dead ... assuming that Chuck was dead. He and Sarah had survived the blast and as far as he knew Chuck hadn't survived the blast. He pressed play.

Sarah relived the events of the blast. She saw herself running towards Chuck and Chuck reaching out his hand to catch her. She was so close she could touch him but as soon as her fingers touched Chucks the shock of the blast blew her backwards. From the point of view that she was seeing the footage it looked like the blast went off near Chuck and Casey. She watched as she saw herself being blown backwards then Shaw grabbing her and pushing her down the hole from the blast. He continued to play the footage. She watched the dust settle and the feed focused on a pair of boots. There she saw with the body of Chuck lying in the midst of the rubble and dust. Casey's body was not too far away, his body lifeless as well.

Shaw pressed stop and looked at Sarah.

Sarah sat motionless.

"I'll give you till morning to make up your mind. I'll leave the screen open so it can help you make the right choice." Shaw walked off and the cold air crashed through the room once more.

Sarah heard the door close and the feeling of loss overcame her. Her tears and deep sobs overtook her body. She tried not to look at the screen but the thought that Chuck hadn't survived the blast was too much for her. 'Chuck no! You can't leave me! Not like this! You survived being shot, you can't let a blast be the end for us! Someone please help me! CHUCK!

**Airbus Military A400 M – 0:400 hrs over Russian Territory**

Chuck woke up in a sweat screaming Sarah's name.

Laura ran over to him. "Chuck, you had a bad dream!"

"I wasn't dreaming," he insisted. "I heard Sarah calling my name!"

The noise woke Casey and he walked over to Chuck and Laura. "So I guess were done sleeping?"

"Sorry Casey," Chuck muttered. "But …"

"No need," Casey replied. "I have a strong feeling that maybe she did."

Chuck dangled his legs over the cargo bags that was his bed. "Guys it was so clear, like she was here with us. She was screaming no. We need to find her."

"We will Chuck, we will."

Chuck tried to compose himself. He reached for his laptop and checked to see where they were flying over. He jumped down and sat beside Casey. "We should be at the border of Norway and Sweden by noon tomorrow. What now?"

Casey pulled out a map and tagged it to side of the plane.

Chuck walked up to the map. "Ok when we land in Norrbotten we will grab the train into Kiruna but we will get off at the station prior to entering Kiruna. Beckman has made arrangements to have an alterrain vehicle waiting for us. The coordinates are 62° 00' N 15° 00 E' which will be a place to start. Shaw might be on the move with Sarah so we will check out all leads. If he's using old copper mines one place we'll have to check out will be the Falun Copper mine in Kiruna. It's located near Torneträsk which is a lake that flows into the Abisko Lake. We have a safe house in the mountains near Tornehamm – it's a mountain station tucked away on the western side of the mountain – so if all fails we can head over there."

Casey grabbed Chuck's backpack. "Time to load up buddy."

As Casey placed Chuck's pack near his feet he could see the worried look on his face. Chuck was always the one who wore his heart on his sleeve and Casey was the one who preferred to tuck his deep down somewhere in the abyss of his soul.

As he spent more time with Casey Chuck was able to heart warm the older Major.

Casey appreciated the change in how he viewed his life. He wasn't going to be the first to admit that Chuck had cracked the hardened soul of Major Casey. "We will find her. Sarah is one tough agent."

This was the first time that Chuck could recall that Casey ever using Sarah's name directly without adding Walker or Agent to address her.

Chuck turned to face Casey. "I hope so!"

"Chuck, if anything happens promise me that you'll head to the safe house near Tornehamm. At least if I knew that things didn't go well you would be safe and hopefully you won't be alone. Promise me."

Chuck was taken aback by Casey's plead. "I will and don't worry you'll be there to kick my ass in that direction anyways so I am not worried."

Casey laughed then grunted.

"Was that a laugh Major Casey? You're slipping."

Casey picked up Chuck's pack again. "You win now pack up."

Chuck walked past Casey and started replenishing his pack. He grabbed a few sweaters and a jacket for Sarah, a few knives, darts, guns and other provisions to add to his pack. The rest of what they would need would be on the ground when they landed. Beckman had pulled a few strings to get them into the country and supply them with all that they needed to bring down Shaw. She had Interpol on standby just in case.

Chuck placed his bag near the door and stepped over Casey and Laura sitting down having a conversation on tactical moves that they both shared and had experienced in the field. As he resumed his spot on the cargo bags he sat with his flashlight flickering on and off at the picture that he took from Sarah's bag. He got tired of competing with the plane's flickering lights behind him. He didn't want to admit that he was missing Sarah – it had only been a few days but it was a lifetime in his heart. He never thought that one girl would have such an effect on him as much as Sarah Walker had. He hoped that this mission was like Casey said an 'in and out' mission but three weeks in Laos was enough to make anyone crawl out of their skin and make their heads spin. He'd found out that his parents were both involved with the CIA – his mom was a spy his dad a scientist/analyst and that Sarah's parents were involved as well. That he and Sarah were childhood friends that were destined to save the world. There was too much history that was now interfering with his future. Sarah was out there somewhere with a crazed lunatic. He dreaded to think what Shaw was doing to her. She had no back up but he found solace in the fact that Sarah could take care of herself but how long would she be able to do that for? She was his angel, his hero, but superheroes sooner or later ran out of steam. The worst part was that if Shaw asked her any information she wouldn't have anything to say but would that be a good thing or not? He could still hear Sarah's cries echoing through his mind. He looked at his watch. Two hours till they landed ... please Sarah hang in there ... I love you.

**Underground Bunker outside Kiruna Sweden near the Norwegian Border 05:00 local time**

Sarah opened her eyes. Sleeping in a chair was not the most comfortable of places to sleep. When her eyes opened the first thing she saw was the image on the screen. She was still visibly upset and used her last bit of strength to move closer to the table. She forced herself to make the attempt to knock the computer off the table. She started to rock back and forth causing the computer to bounce up and down on the table. After a few failed attempts Sarah tried again and was able to make the computer fall to the floor. She felt some relief but her image of Chuck lying there remained fresh. She tried to wriggle free of the straps that held her wrists to the old rickety chair. She mustard enough strength to move the arm of the chair back and forth till she heard a crack. "That's a good sign," Sarah thought to herself but her attempt to break loose was stalled when the door opened. As the steps came forward with the same cold breeze of air the owner of the steps were different. This person had a slight drag to his step but as far as she could tell it could have been both feet for that matter so she knew that this time it wasn't Shaw. She felt some relief. She'd had enough at the hands of Shaw but she feared what would come with this new threat. The lone heavier set solider about height 6'3 stepped in front of her. Sarah looked up. She knew that Shaw had sent in the big guns thinking that the size of the man would intimidate the 'fragile agent' but Shaw failed to see that Sarah was more than just pretty face. As the saying goes 'if looks could kill' Sarah would be the most wanted person in the world. Her looks took her far and made her who she was today but looks could be deceiving when meeting the one and only Sarah Walker. Most men felt the need to take care of her when all they needed was to find one thing that could heart warm her soul and not get burned.

There was only one man who could withstand the flames and calm the inner demons that ravaged her soul, one man who would die trying and in most cases didn't have to try at all. Sarah knew that Shaw's attempt to break her just fueled the fire that was burning inside her. She desired freedom and to be safe in the arms of Chuck. She knew that he wasn't dead because she told herself that she had to feel him die in her heart and right now Chuck was very much alive. She just hoped that what she was telling herself was the truth and not something she was trained to do.

The solider leaned in. Sarah could smell the remnants of the previous meal and the meal before that one on his breath. It was as bad as if someone had just ate onions and was filming a kissing scene, not something that you wanted to experience or smell. She just wished that she had some altoids to give the guy and hoped that their meeting was short lived.

Sarah kept her eye on him. She needed to figure him out quickly but having her wrists tied down didn't help. The soldier leaned in once again and as he leaned in his hands started slowly edging up the side of Sarah's tied down legs. The soldier caressed her bare arms up and down. He reached her hair and grabbed a hand full and brought Sarah's hair to his face and breathed in her scent. She knew that things were not looking good. If only she could have a break or break something. She was running out of strength and whatever Shaw had given her had weakened her muscles a fair bit. The solider slid his hand down her arm – his hand felt like sandpaper scrapping down Sarah's skin. As his hand slid back up across her chest she knew that she had to stop him. She waited in disgust as he cupped her breasts.

He leaned in thinking that this was one easy gal but as he added some force to his cupping of her breasts Sarah used her head literally. She leaned back and with all the strength she had left brought her head forward nailing the soldier's head right between the eyes. As the soldier fell backwards his foot caught the old chair and Sarah came crashing down along with the giant. The solider was out cold lying down on the cement.

Sarah laid low hoping that the crash didn't alert Shaw. She waited then looked at the chair. The fall had dislodged the arm and Sarah had one arm of the chair free. She untied her other arm and got up but the rush of sitting for so long, limited the blood flow to her legs, made her dizzy. She leaned against the table and when she had enough strength she bent over the soldier's unconscious body. She found a set of keys, a gun and a walkie talkie then stood up and gave the soldier a parting gift. Something that hopefully, if he had a wife, she wouldn't be able to make use it for a while.

Sarah took the keys and unlocked the door. She could feel the wind on the other side of the door. She ran back to the solider, ripped his jacket off him and gave him another kick just in case he didn't feel the first one. As she opened the door she heard voices coming from down the hall. She wasn't sure if one of the voices she heard belonged to Shaw but she wasn't going to take any chances. She was still feeling the effects of his last few visits. She knew that she hadn't fully recovered from the last round of hits she'd received back in Columbia thanks to Bryce and now Shaw had done enough to aggravate old wounds both physically and emotionally. She decided to run in the opposite direction. She'd been on a lot of missions and most of them consisted of office buildings, prisons and warehouses so she knew that she had to be in an underground bunker. Sarah noticed a lot of narrow walkways but very few windows, if you could call them windows, were covered up. She noticed a lot of air vents that led she hoped to the outside.

"Hon är borta!" (She's gone!) The guards came running out of the room with the solider still lying on the floor.

Shaw came in not pleased that Sarah was gone. "She can't be far! Find her!"

"Hitta henne." (Find her) Shaw yelled again.

"Hur han." (What about him) The solider asked Shaw looking at the other solider lying on the floor.

"Inte mitt problem." (Not my problem) Shaw ran out of the room down the hall. He knew that Sarah wouldn't get out alive. He and his dad had made sure that no one would find this place. They were far enough away from Kiruna to alert any standbys or noisy individuals.

Sarah heard the alarms so she knew that Shaw had figured out that she'd split. She backtracked and noticed an air vent but couldn't budge it. She didn't have her handy 2 n 1 knife. She quickly scanned the floor. She noticed a few scraps of metal and some wire. She wrapped the wire around the two scraps of metal, one on top of the other, which allowed her to use them as a wrench. She took the makeshift wrench and opened them up like pair of pliers and turned the bolts on the vent. She found the first one tough but managed to twist it off. The second one came easy but the third one gave her some grief. It was obviously rusted so instead of cutting it off with a saw, which she didn't have, she went for the fourth one hoping that she would open it in time.

Shaw and his men scoured the bunker. He had regular updates on his earpiece but there was no sign of Sarah.

Sarah could hear that the men were getting closer. She twisted the bolt and prayed that it would soon move.

"Shaw! Nordvästra korridoren (Northwest corridor) A voice rang through his earpiece.

"Nordvästra korridoren - hurry."

Sarah heard the last bit come over the intercom.

_Dumb move! Why broadcast that information _

She was so glad that she knew Swedish – so far it had come in handy but again a very dumb move.

Shaw ran back to the north corridor; he knew that there was no way out. Sarah had gotten herself trapped and there was no exit unless she headed in the direction that he was no heading in.

Sarah made one more turn and the bolt moved. She quickly unscrewed it and managed to remove the grid that covered the vent. She could see a faint light at the top. She hoped to shimmy up the vent to the outside – she just prayed that the light was enough but it had a welcome feel to it. She crawled into the vent and pulled it closed behind her then she put the bolts back on the vent to keep it shut. She started to shimmy up the vent but it was harder than she'd thought. She wished that Chuck was there guiding her up with a pulley system but she was on her own on this one. The sounds of bunker faded as she got closer to the top all the time hoping that freedom awaited her. She had to get out – she knew of a safe house close by, the last time she had been there was on a mission with Bryce. Sarah recalled that it was one of her very first missions after they had been sleeping together for some time. Bryce found that he needed to release a lot of his energy by means that Sarah wanted too as well. _We all do she thought._ But she had a little more class than Bryce had on missions and if she had to sleep with any of her partners on mission that partner had to be really special. Someone who had her back. Someone who knew her better than she knew herself and Bryce knew that he wasn't that guy nor had he ever been.

Sarah finally reached the top – her legs were cramping and she had no more strength in her arms. She peeked through the grate that was the only thing that separated her from Shaw.

Shaw arrived at the northwest corridor and found it empty. A lone rat came scurrying out from its hiding spot. Shaw and the guards aimed their guns at the sudden sound. Shaw returned his gun to his holster. "She's got to be around here somewhere – there's not many places to hide." The guards left Shaw standing there. He looked around, ran his hands up the wall and banged them on the wall. _You're not going to get away from me Agent Walker. You can run but you can't hide."_ Shaw turned around and headed back up to the main area of the bunker. As he started to walk a bolt from the vent fell onto the floor and rolled in front of him. He bent down to pick it up. He walked over to the vent that housed the bolt. "Why would you have been loose?" He returned the bolt and tightened it up as best he could then he put his hand on the vent. "This place is falling apart." Shaw walked away.

Sarah pushed the grate opened and jumped out. She looked up at the sky. The moon was high in the sky so it had to be around 10 or so at night. She needed to hide somewhere till day break. She was glad that she had taken that jacket. It was a lot colder than the last place she was in and from she'd recognized the language the soldiers had been speaking so she knew she was in or near Sweden.

Sarah headed north east – she had come out of the northwest end of the bunker so if she headed east she should reach some town or village or eventually come to a main road. She zipped up the jacket and folded the bottom up and tucked it in from the bottom. She placed her hands in the jacket, she had the gun with a full magazine and she turned on the walkie talkie on. Sarah came across some tarps. She was glad that the moon was high and bright – it helped her to see the landscape but it also made her a target on the run. She lifted the tarp probably there to camouflage whatever was under there from the air or nearby roads. She found that there was an old style truck. Sarah opened the door and ripped off the covering under the steering wheel, she hotwired the truck and drove off into the moonlight.

Sarah found a main road and drove hoping to find a town or even a phone. She turned up the volume of the walkie talkie and listened to Shaw give orders and waited for his men to report in. The farther Sarah drove the less she was able to hear so she turned up the volume again; by now the search for her had exhausted the inside and the men were starting to look outside. Sarah slowed down as she came to a sharp turn. She wished that she had her own car; she would have loved to burn rubber on this road but this old truck not so much; she was surprised that it was still moving. She had been driving for a few hours when she noticed the gas tank getting close to empty. She had no money and she needed to get as far away from Shaw as she could. Sarah felt the truck heave – it was slowing down and so was she. She turned off the main road and hid the car in a shallow valley. The moon shone into the windows of the truck.

Sarah had to keep moving but she needed sleep as well. If Chuck was here, even Casey for that matter, they would be telling her to get some sleep. She succumbed to her tiredness and crawled into a fetal position to keep warm, the jacket was big enough that she was able to wrap her legs up inside. She held the gun in her right hand with her finger on the trigger.

Shaw's men headed outside and noticed that one of the vents that led to the inside bunker had been removed. The men called Shaw over. She had him. She was under his nose the whole time. _The bolt he thought, she had loosened the bolts and exited through the vent_.

"Dispergera!" (Disperse) "I want her alive, Jag vill ha henne vid liv." (I want her alive)

Shaw ran up towards the vehicles and noticed that one of the truck had been taken. The more time spent on finding Sarah the more his hatred for her boiled his insides. She had played him long enough. A land rover typed truck stopped alongside Shaw. Shaw jumped in. "She has at least an hour or so lead on us."

The truck sped off and soon as the truck came to the edge of the hidden compound Shaw had the truck stop. Shaw got out and allowed the lights of the truck shine on the tracks. He knew no one had entered but one set of tracks had left. Shaw scanned the track and noticed the tracks headed east. "_Got you!_" Shaw jumped back in and pointed east. " Osterut bråttom nu." (Head east now hurry)

Sarah was enjoying her dream. She was dreaming that they had found each other and Chuck wasn't dead. They quickly picked up where they'd left off. Making up for lost time was quickly forgotten when Chuck kissed her with all the passion he had saved up since Laos. She wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck. Their lips remained close, they were so engulfed in the moment that Sarah and Chuck didn't notice Shaw coming up behind them. When Chuck noticed Shaw he had forced himself away from Sarah. Shaw's men looked as Sarah.

'_So you thought that you could get away from me, never! I am going to take care of you the same way that your took care of my mom, but first I will get rid of someone you love so you can feel the pain I felt when I found out that my own mother was shot dead. _

Shaw grabbed Chuck and made him kneel before Sarah. She stood still unable to move. She watched as Shaw rammed a knife in his heart. Chuck looked up at Sarah then fell forward. Sarah woke up screaming then she realised that she'd been dreaming.

Sarah sat up and looked at the moon – it had moved further to the west so she knew that a few hours had past. She opened the door and stepped out then headed east again hoping to find another car or phone – whatever came first. Sarah walked parallel to the rode but kept her distance. She headed up a hill hoping that it would give her a better view of the terrain. When she reached the top she noticed a few cluster of lights at the bottom of the valley so she decided to go there – there had to be a phone or car – if not a car then a house that had a phone or even food for that matter.

Sarah walked a few miles and came to a small village. She ducked in and out of the few houses and landmarks. She looked into windows of homes but she couldn't see a phone. She walked towards a building that resembled a garage. She shimmed through the chained doors and entered the building. It was a garage, she could smell the used oil and greasiness of the place. Sarah noticed a phone, ran to it and picked up the receiver but the phone had no dial tone. "Man I am never going to get a break here." Sarah shook her head. She turned around and walked around the garage. She noticed a candy machine and there were a few bags of chips and stuff in the machine. She wondered if the soldier had any change in his pockets.

"Nothing ... it figures."

Sarah walked over to the machine and jimmied the door with a crowbar that was nearby. She grabbed a few bags of chips and some bars that contained nuts which would give her some energy. She wasn't much into sweets but she liked chips. She walked over to the counter and grabbed some soda from the other machine. Sarah laid all her goodies on the counter. She felt bad for stealing but she needed to take care of herself and if that meant stealing a few items then so be it.

Sarah took her last swig of her soda, grabbed a few bars that were left and stuffed them into her pockets. If she didn't get any energy from the sugar she was doomed. She hoped that the peanuts would take over. Sarah hopped off the chair and headed to the door she used to enter the garage. She looked at the clock that hung on the wall decorated with antique car parts and old license plates. The clock read 1:45.

Sarah crouched down and slipped through the door back into the moonlight. She walked through the village but there were no signs of anything that resembled a car or any mode of transportation. She knew she had to either walk or stay and pray that a car would come by but she knew that Shaw would be coming for her. The disadvantage of driving in the winter snow or in sand/gravel was that it was too easy to track so she decided to keep walking east.

Shaw watched the tracks ahead of him as they drove. There was a slight wind that blew some snow over the tracks but there was still a faint indentation allowing them to track Sarah's path. The driver motioned to Shaw that the tracks had reared off to the right. Shaw had the driver turn off the road and they drove a few miles till they came to a shallow valley. Shaw climbed out and had his men circled the truck. Shaw crept up to the truck and when he opened the door he had his gun ready, but Sarah was gone. Shaw saw the walkie talkie and threw it down on the floor of the truck. He looked around to see if he could see her tracks but by the time he'd arrived most of the tracks had been blown over by snow. As the winds picked up he knew he had lost her tracks for now but he would come back in the daylight hours.

Sarah continued a routine of looking over her shoulder every ten minutes. She knew her spy skills were automatic no matter what time she gave herself to check things out. She came to another village, saw a pay phone and picked up the receiver hoping to find dial tone. She placed the phone to her ear and grinned when she heard the familiar dial tone. She dialled a number that only CIA agents knew to use. Each number connected an agent wherever they were in the world to a direct line to Interpol or Langley. Though it wasn't completely a direct line it did allow the right people to intercept the call to make sure that the need for the call was legit. She made the collect call to a number that belonged to an owner of a Fish market named Holtsberg. Sarah knew the man, she had met him several years ago the last time she was in this area. She had called him when she left Lisbon, but that time he was not an owner of a Fish Market but a owner of a bakery. She dialled the correct number and waited.

**Undisclosed location 03:00 Sweden**

The sound echoed throughout the quiet one bedroom apartment. The sounds of fingers typing hastily away at the computer awakened the sleepy female. She placed her feet into her slippers and walked into the living room to see her husband rolling back and forth in his chair along the floor. The middle aged woman wrapped her arms around the man.

"Did I wake you?" He said.

"No, but your alarms did? What did you find?"

"I think we've found what we've been looking for."

"Did someone make a call?"

"Yes and I've pinpointed the call to a small village near Kiruna."

"Do you think it's them?"

"Hard to say, but what we've been told and what has transpired ... maybe. If we leave now we might be able to intercept Interpol. It will take them hours to get to Kiruna from Oslo and then we can see for ourselves if we're right."

"Ok I'll grab my stuff, you grab you know what. If you're right we can hand it over and hope that it takes care of the problem."

"Yes but first I have to make arrangements with the person." The older man distorted his voice to make it sound like the instructions were coming from an actual Interpol officer.

Sarah listened to the instructions and pressed the right keys in the sequence that she was told to do when she was at the farm. Those numbers were part of her being, a lifesaver in disguise. She hung up the phone, jimmied it and grabbed the change. She needed to find a place to hide hopefully with not a whole lot of people but she had to show that she wasn't a threat either. She wandered further into the town and found a small coffee house. She walked in and sat at a far booth.

The waitress walked over. " Vad kan jag få dig?" (What can I get you?)

Sarah looked up. "Kaffe vänligen." (Coffee please)

The waitress poured Sarah a cup of coffee. She was lucky that she was able to blend in with her blonde hair and blue eyes. If Chuck walked in here heads would turn because of his dark brown hair and brown eyes. Sarah thanked the waitress and lifted the cup to her mouth. The feeling of the warm coffee trickling down her throat warmed her insides. It gave her some comfort even for the time it took her to drink her coffee. Sarah looked at the amount of change that she was able to grab. It wasn't a lot but it could buy her that cup of coffee and maybe a Swedish muffin or some toast. Sarah counted the change and the waitress couldn't help noticed Sarah trying to read the menu and add her change up. The waitress walked over and placed a plate full of crepes and sausage on the table. Sarah looked at the waitress. "Sorry I don't have enough…Ledsen att jag inte har tillräckligt med pengar" (Sorry I don't have enough money)

The waitress smiled and placed her hand on Sarah's. "Det är på huset, dur ser ut som du behövde det - vem var han gjorde ett nummer på dig. (It's on the house, you look like you needed it - whoever he was he did a number on you.)

"Tack så mycket." (Thank you very much) Sarah dug into her plate of food. She hadn't eaten anything since Shaw brought her the soup and that wasn't enough to tied her over. She was finishing her second cup of coffee when she looked at the clock. It was close to six. She knew that Interpol would be arriving shortly. She got up and walked to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. Fifteen minutes later Sarah walked out and as she headed back to the counter she noticed a black range rover slowly drive by then she noticed Shaw sitting in the passenger side. Sarah quickly averted her eyes which caught the eyes of the waitress. The waitress walked over. She tried to speak to Sarah in English. The waitress started explaining in her broken English that there was a back door that led to alley, the main highway was past that.

Sarah thanked the waitress and headed out the back door as Shaw and his men entered through the front door. He sat down at the counter while his men cased the joint.

They came back shaking their heads. Shaw looked at the waitress and asked her if she had seen an American woman recently.

The waitress played it cool. She knew that Shaw must have been the creep that did the number on the American woman. "Nej jag har inte skulle du vilja beställa något?" (No I haven't would you like to order something?)

Shaw got up and walked out. His men followed.

Sarah ran up the alley. The coffee and food gave her the strength she needed. Sarah needed to find a way out or lie low – if she grabbed a car she could drive to another location but Shaw would find her – she knew that Shaw wouldn't give up now. Sarah heard a vehicle coming. She dodge in and out of the alley trying to avoid what was coming her way. Sarah ran into a lane, she had missed the sign that read dead end. She looked up and tried to find a way out. She ran to the doors that faced the alley. All were locked. Sarah heard the sound of a car approaching fast this time. Sarah ran to next door and was about to kick the door in when she heard a voice.

"If you want to live come with me."

Sarah knew that the voice wasn't Shaws. She grabbed her gun and turned around.

The voice again cried out.

"And I am supposed to believe you?" Sarah yelled back.

The voice spoke again but this time the words that Sarah thought she would never hear again rang through her ears.

"Out there is a new world! Out there is our destiny."

Sarah turned around and climbed into the small van. The doors shut, the van drove off as the range rover drove past them in the opposite direction.


	13. Chapter 13 Lucky or Unlucky

**Well I am back – this chapter has taken a lot of time to complete – by the time I was done writing this chapter it was over 100 pages. I couldn't stop till I got it just right.**

**1000 thanks goes out to MRW for her time and effort and suggestions for this final chapter.**

**Also for my readers that have been faithful since chapter one.**

**I have divided this chapter into 3 parts – So CH 13 is much longer and plus I didn't want to make this story become one of those 60 plus chapter stories…**

**So please enjoy the final arch of Chuck vrs the Unknown**

**I DON'T own Chuck all IS WRITTEN because of the love for the show… **

**Chapter 13 – Lucky or Unlucky**

**Stojordal Norway Vaernes Air Station Trondheim local time 08:00**

A nervous co-pilot hovered over Casey and Laura as they wrapped up their conversation. "Excuse me Major Casey."

Casey and Laura stood up. "Spill it."

"We got word over the wire that Norrbotton Airport is closed due to a terrible storm that has hit the area and we will be heading directly into that storm if we don't change our route now. Our safest place to stop and hopefully miss it is to land in Trondheim Norway."

Casey grabbed the map that the co-pilot was holding. Chuck heard the commotion and headed back up to the front of the plane. Casey looked at the map with the co-pilot.

"See here Major our quickest and safest route to your destination is Trondheim Norway sir. We aren't guaranteed anything safer than…"

"I hear ya but we need to get to Kiruna."

"What's going on?" Chuck asked looking at Casey.

"We have a problem."

_Chuck feared the worse. Did Casey get word that something happened to Sarah? Why would there be a problem when they were so close to landing?_ "What kind of problem?"

Casey looked up at Chuck and Laura. "A terrible storm is heading in our direction and we need to decide what to do next. We can't land in Norrbotton Airport as planned which would get us into Kiruna by noon today; our safest option is to land in Trondheim Norway."

"Norway!" Chuck exclaimed. "But Sarah is right here!"

"I know but we can't out run the storm."

Chuck slid down alongside the walls of the plane.

"Casey," Laura said trying to ease the tension on the plane. "Do what is best."

"If we land in Trondheim we can drive to Narvik and take the train into Kiruna. It does add to our time but hopefully by then the storm will have passed and we can enter Kiruna by night fall."

"Night fall is much better." Laura turned to Chuck. "I know you want to find Sarah but getting lost in a winter storm without knowing where she is and then if she'd found out that you wanted to out run a storm it might not sit well with her. I'm just saying ..."

Chuck mulled the idea over, stood up and walked over to the map.

"That's my boy," Casey grunted.

Chuck gave him a faint smile. "So where is Trondheim?"

Casey pointed to Trondheim on the map and fingered the route that they would take to Narvik. When the co-pilot left with his new destination Casey made the call to Beckman.

The remaining flight was full of turbulence, bells and whistles as the Airbus flew through the storm. The temperatures on the plane changed drastically and they all knew that they had just got a taste of what it was really like outside. The Airbus skidded to a stop as Chuck fastened his back pack and doubled checked to make sure he had enough rounds for him and Sarah. Casey grabbed his automatic rifles and strapped them to his back.

Laura watched as the plane's ramp opened up. She looked at her watch and saw that it was 8 o'clock local time. She'd hoped that Beckman had gotten the messages through and that Sarah wasn't too far away. She walked up to Chuck and squeezed his arm. "We're close, don't worry we'll find her."

Chuck gave her a faint smile. He was tired of faking it when it came to Sarah. He knew that she could be close but her closeness right now was another country away. The temperature had changed drastically and as he exited the plane the winter winds blew across his face and he was glad that he remembered to wear a winter jacket and bring one for Sarah. He hoped that wherever she was she was okay. One of Beckman's calls had gone through and there was a fully loaded Range Rover waiting for them on the tarmac at the Trondheim Airport.

Casey saluted the soldiers awaiting their arrival.

"Pleasure to meet you Major Casey. We've had word from General Beckman that they apprehended Colonel Klinger when he tried to flee Laos; they're detaining him until further notice. No word yet on Former Agent Franco Kovac. Soldiers have searched the mine again and still no new findings. We have his picture posted at all the airports and train stations; the General believes that he'll try to contact with his son."

"Thank you soldier." Casey saluted the young Swedish soldier then walked back to the Range Rover. "Klinger's been arrested but Kovac is still MIA."

Chuck opened up his computer. "If will head north to Narvik, take the train from Narvik like Casey said earlier, we can take the train as far as Riksgänsen. We could take this route entirely into Kiruna if we needed to but Shaw might have it under surveillance. If we get off in Riksgänsen and go in by foot it would be faster than backtracking once we've reached Kiruna, hopefully finding Sarah quickly and putting an end to this mission for good." He updated their destination on his computer. When he clicked a few more keys he saw that Sarah's beacon had alerted him again. He brought up her coordinates. They were still flashing over Northern Sweden but had changed from her previous location. He looked up. "Guys!"

Casey and Laura walked over to him.

"Sarah's beacon is on the move. When I went to update our route I re-entered Sarah's current coordinates and her location has changed."

Laura smiled at him. "That's a good sign right?"

Casey shrugged. "Who knows? It could mean a lot of things. She could be on the move or…"

"Say it Casey because I know that you're both thinking it," Chuck said. "But I am not going to – I can feel that she is close, she has to be. Like on the plane, I know that she can sense me as I can her and right now she has not given up so neither can I; I need to hang on to that so if your…."

"Chuck I am on your side." Casey interjected. "Walker is one tough agent and I know she will fight to get back to you. If her beacon says something different then we go with that. She must still have it on her. We will follow the signal unless something else comes up."

Chuck handed Casey a map of Northern Sweden. Casey placed it on the hood of the Range Rover and Chuck highlighted where they were.

"We are here," Chuck said. "Sarah's last coordinates point her here just outside Kiruna. The mine is located on the eastern side of the town. There's a lake south of Kiruna called Torneträsk. Casey you mentioned a safe house near Abisko?"

Casey nodded.

"Ok Abisko is located near the Lapporten mountain pass in Lapland. If all else fails we head there."

Laura looked at the map.

"We need to get into Narvik as soon as possible. The train leaves on the hour and right now it's a little after 12. By the time we get there is will be at least 7 pm. We need to reach Kiruna by night fall to make up any time. If we can get past Torneträsk and hopefully into Riksgänsen without being seen, going by foot to Kiruna should be easy. Shaw's men will be looking for anything that resembles American agents entering Kiruna so we were kind of lucky that we didn't stop at Norrbotton Airport and yes we have lost some time but we still have our lives."

Laura rolled up the map, handed it to Casey and got into the back seat. Casey jumped into the driver's seat and Chuck slid back into the passenger seat and closed the door. He kept his computer open to keep an eye on Sarah. Casey started the car, made a u-turn and headed north to Narvik.

**Undisclosed location 08:30 Sweden**

The van slowly drove up to a small garage that housed a small apartment. The older woman jumped out and opened the door as the older man drove the van inside. The garage door quickly closed. Sarah had fallen asleep and the two strangers walked into the apartment leaving the door open. They were surprised that Sarah had fallen asleep but they knew that she was safe now and by the looks of her she needed the sleep. Whoever had hurt her had done a good job but the two didn't really know how badly hurt she was.

The older woman walked into the kitchen and grabbed the kettle. She filled it and lit the stove. The apartment as a small and quaint with the kitchen, living room and laundry all in one; it had one bedroom at the top of the stairs with a cobblestone fireplace. The older man walked back to his computer and other electronics. The whole set up looked like a CIA facility. It was tucked away under the stairs off from the kitchen. The older man checked local airports to see if the Airbus had arrived. From the time they had received contact from General Beckman he knew that they should have landed by now. The older man typed away and was able to get a signal on the cipher. He knew the whereabouts but didn't know who had the cipher. He hoped that Chuck had it but he couldn't be sure that Bryce had given it to him. Chuck needed the cipher and key in order to put a stop to Shaw's plan before it was too late. The older man knew that Shaw and his dad were very close to implementing their own intersect but without the key and cipher Shaw's version wouldn't stand a chance.

Sarah awoke inside the van surprised that she had let her guard down and fallen asleep but part of her sensed that she was safe. She was a good spy and could read people very well and what she was getting from the older couple was more like a parental bond though she didn't have a true identity on them so she could only go on what they'd said to her. When she heard the phrase 'Out there is a new world. Out there is our destiny' she knew that it had something to do with her past. Chuck had heard the same line in the warehouse after Bryce had tried to redeem himself and a part of him had known that the line meant something big. She crawled out of the van and walked into the small apartment.

The older woman noticed Sarah and called to her husband. "She's awake."

The older man came out from under the stairs. He walked up to his wife and looked at Sarah. "Welcome. It's been a long time."

Sarah looked at the old man. He looked familiar but if he was the same guy the years had aged him. The woman she had not seen before but the more Sarah looked at her the more she saw the resemblance to the man she loved and wanted desperately to see again. She looked around taking in her new surroundings.

"It's not much but we like it."

"Oh no, it's quaint."

"Are you hungry?" The older man pulled a chair out for Sarah to sit at the table.

The older woman brought Sarah some coffee. "Do you take anything in your coffee?"

"Cream and sugar," Sarah replied.

"Just like our boy….." The older lady mumbled to herself.

Sarah doctored up her coffee and took a sip. She needed the warmth. She had caught a chill that wasn't going away and she didn't want to end up with a cold or worse a fever.

The older woman eyed Sarah and the older man knew that introductions had to be made quickly. "Honey, I would like you to meet Agent Sarah Walker or as I knew her long ago as Lisa Burton."

Sarah's eyes opened up like a deer caught in the headlights. She was right. He was Chuck's dad which meant that this had to be Chuck's mom.

The older woman got up from the table, walked over to Sarah and gave her a big hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Sarah didn't know what to say or do and cringed at the length of the hug.

When the older man noticed the look on Sarah's face he knew she was in bad shape. "Honey I think that you're hurting her."

Sarah welcomed the release. "It's nice to meet…"

"Oh sorry, I'm Mary and you know my husband Stephen."

"It has been a while. I'm sorry that I don't quite remember you I was…."

"That's ok Sarah your mom said the same thing."

"You talked to my mom?"

"Yes."

"Where is she? Where is Chuck?" Sarah got up but the pain of sitting got the best of her. "I've got to find Chuck; he's not dead!"

"Dead?"

"Oh no dear. You thought that they?"

"I don't know what to believe. This whole mission has been one surprise after another with so many unknowns that I have lost count."

"My dear, they are fine. We're not sure exactly where they are but they're fine. The last contact we had was when they were en route to Sweden."

"So where am I exactly?"

Mary and Stephen looked at each other. "You don't know?"

"No," Sarah replied. "A guy named Shaw, Daniel Shaw, took me from Laos and I was held in a bunker type place until yesterday when I ended up in the town that you found me in earlier. I am assuming somewhere in Sweden due to fact that Shaw's men spoke Swedish."

"All you need to know is that you're safe and until we get word on where our son, your mom and Major Casey are, you are staying put and by the looks of things you need the rest."

"Stephen!"

"What? It's not hard to tell that she's in bad shape!"

Sarah knew that they were right. Shaw had done a number on her but what she needed was a hot bath and two strong arms of Chuck's holding her tight. She got up and started clearing the dishes.

"Don't worry, Stephen will take care of that. Let's get you cleaned up." Mary led Sarah to the bathroom and drew her a bath.

Sarah started to take off the jacket off.

"We'll burn this …" Mary smiled a motherly smile and took the jacket from Sarah.

Sarah smiled.

Mary saw that Sarah didn't have much for clothing on. She had a muscle shirt and well-worn pair of jeans. She noticed the bruises that stretched across her back and front.

Sarah tried to lift her shirt off but struggled due to the pain.

Mary walked over and gave Sarah a hand. "He did a number on you, didn't he?"

"Yeah…. he did…."

"Well a hot bath will help then we can get you into some fresh new clothes. I'll go and get you some towels."

"Ok." Sarah lifted her leg and dipped it into the tub. The water was hot but felt good – she needed to get Shaw's filthy prints off hers. She brought her other leg over and sat down. Mary had put Epson salts and bubbles that stung her open wounds but eased her aching muscles. Sarah leaned back and allowed the warm bubbles to encase her body then was startled by a knock. "Come in."

"Sorry," Mary said. "Here are your towels and a change of clothes. I don't have many girly items but I do have Charles's old shirt that I've kept. It might fit you." She looked around as would any mother caring for a child.

Even at Sarah's age it was nice to be cared for and she could see where Chuck got his sweet and caring traits from.

Mary headed to the door and looked back. "Sarah?"

Sarah looked up. "Yeah?"

"How is Charles?"

"You would be proud of him. He has turned into the most caring man I have ever met. He would turn the world upside down to help someone."

"You love him, don't you?"

Sarah smiled. "With all my heart and he loves me."

"Your mom was right."

"About what?"

"That you two were destined to be together. She always kept me informed about you two. I just have one regret and that is that I couldn't see it firsthand." Mary went for the door handle. "Take your time and we'll catch up in a bit." She walked out and closed the door.

Sarah leaned back. The water felt wonderful and her thoughts quickly turned to Chuck.

**Highway from Trondheim to Narvik 13:00 hrs**

Casey knew that he had to make up some time and keep Chuck calm. He was surprised as he stared at the highway in front of him. He and Chuck had come a long way in such a short time but he knew that tough guys didn't let people in. The army had taught him that family and friends were liabilities and they could get hurt but for some reason Chuck was able to do both. Why was it that a nerd like Chuck could handle both and a tough man like Casey couldn't? Casey cherished his emotions as much as he cherished guns. He was not a man who shared or wore his emotions on his sleeve but the more he got to know Chuck the more he had let him in. Chuck allowed him to see life a little bit differently and he'd tamed the infamous she male so anything was possible. He looked at his watch. "Hey Chuck, what's the road report?"

"Hmm? Oh ok ... road report." Chuck typed away on his laptop. "A few twists and turns, a few toll booths but nothing big." All Chuck wanted to do was get to Kiruna and find Sarah. As the day progressed it was one day without her. He stared out of the window. He had never really seen snow before, well not like this. Growing up in Southern California he had never had the opportunity and until now their missions had never taken them to places like this. The landscape was covered with fresh snow. The heavy frost covered the trees like blankets. The sky had a faint pink glow to it as the daylight was summoning the night. Even though it was afternoon the sun didn't have a chance. Chuck watched as the sun's reflection danced over the sky as Casey headed to Narvik. He leaned back. His eyes felt heavy and when he closed them he instantly thought of Sarah. He tried to stay awake but knew that he couldn't win. He just hoped that when he woke up they were that much closer to Sarah.

**Undisclosed location Sweden **

Sarah awoke from her daydream of Chuck. He had a habit of entering her thoughts at the best of times and most of those times her thoughts weren't very PG-13. She couldn't start having those dreams with Chuck's parents in the next room because what Chuck was doing to her in those dreams didn't look or sound good coming from this tiny bathroom. She needed to get out. She blamed the reason this time on looking like a wet shrivelled prune. _Chuck will pay she chuckled to herself. He will pay_.

Sarah looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but see the bruises and cuts left by Shaw. How was she going to explain this to Chuck? Did she even have to? If he ever found out that Shaw had done this to her he would go ballistic. She remembered what had happened when Chuck had had to tend to her in Columbia after Bryce had left her to die. Her current wounds had been inflicted by a man that Chuck despised. How was he going to deal with what had happened to her? She hoped that the bruises would be gone by the time he found out. She dried off and grabbed the clothes that Mary had brought in. She slipped into a pair of jeans and socks but the best part was slipping into one of Chuck's plaid shirts. She was surprised that Mary had kept Chuck's shirt and wondered if Stephen had been asked to bring her something to remind her of her son and this is what he'd brought. This was the second time that she had worn something of Chuck's. She remembered the first time when the Lon Kirk mission hadn't gone as planned and she'd felt protected when she'd slipped on Chuck's Buy More jacket. This shirt had the same affect. She gathered up her old stuff and opened the door. She felt refreshed but the lingering effects of Shaw stayed with her every movement she made. She walked out and saw Mary and Stephen sitting in front of the cobblestone fireplace.

Stephen got up and helped Sarah to the couch. "Do you want anything?"

Sarah sat down. "Something warm…maybe some tea?"

Stephen smiled. "Tea it is."

Mary grabbed a blanket and covered Sarah then sat down again. "Do you feel better?"

"A little but I still feel very cold. The bath helped but I must have gotten a chill."

"Most likely and the bruises and such…." Mary whispered.

"I hope that's all it is. My ribs don't feel broken but they're pretty close I think plus I don't think that I truly recovered from the last round of blows I received at the beginning of this mission."

"Columbia?"

Sarah was surprised that Mary would know that.

"Yes Columbia. How did you know?"

"Laura was our eyes and told me that Chuck had been shot."

Sarah still couldn't believe that Bryce would do something like that. She relived the gun going off and seeing Chuck lying on the ground.

"Sarah?"

Sarah looked at Mary. "Sorry, just remembering stuff. Yes Chuck got shot but he's doing ok now"

"Who shot him?"

Sarah looked up and saw Stephen coming with her tea. She accepted the cup and placed it on the table beside her. "You don't know?"

Mary looked at Stephen then back at Sarah. "No, we were hoping that you would fill us in. Laura only gave us the highlights."

"Well I don't know where to start? How about you tell me what you know then I'll fill you in on what's missing?"

Stephen smiled. "Once an agent always an agent….."

"Well most of what you know is what we know. I had Bryce sneak into the DNI and grab the files and send them to our son."

Sarah nodded.

"Then you were assigned to him along with John Casey. Things were going ok I assumed so we continued to lay low. Bryce survived Casey's gunshot then we heard that Chuck had gotten shot but we didn't hear who shot him."

"Chuck was shot by Bryce."

"Bryce?" Mary covered her mouth with her hand. She hadn't expected to hear that.

"Bryce, why?"

"He said that he had to protect Chuck because one of Kovac's men, Tommy, thought that Bryce had the intersect downloaded in his brain. Tommy started to snoop around and Bryce feared that Chuck would be found out. We were in a warehouse about three months ago and Tommy had already done a number on Chuck. There was a struggle and Bryce, who was pretending to be on Tommy's side, told him that he would protect the intersect at all costs. Tommy thought Bryce had …. anyways Bryce fired at Chuck hitting him in the chest. Chuck fell to the ground. Bryce then shot Tommy and with all the confusion he disappeared."

"Bryce shot our son? That wasn't the plan…."

"We know. He told us, but he didn't think that Chuck would have gone down like he did. Bryce didn't really want to shoot him, it just happened. Chuck was in intensive care for weeks – the doctors put him in an induced coma. He was shot just below the heart and the bullet exited his back. I stayed with him till I got word that Bryce was in Columbia."

"Right, right, you went to Columbia…."

"Yes then I got caught up in one of Bryce's attempts to make things right and Chuck and Casey came to rescue me."

"But Chuck was in the hospital."

"He was heading home when my beacon went off and he came to find me." Sarah remembered her beacon and got up to check her boots.

"Sarah what are you looking for?"

"My boots."

"Why?"

"Because my beacon…."

"What about it?" Stephen interjected.

"Did it go off?"

"Did what go off?"

"My beacon, and is that why Chuck is on his way here? He's on his way here right?"

"Yes."

"Sarah, sit down."

Sarah put her boots down and walked back to the couch.

"We know that this mission has not been the best at times but I hope that you're realizing that you and Chuck need to complete this mission together."

"I just recently heard that the man I love is and was the little boy I met years before, that my mom and her friends are spies, that my dad got locked up by Langston Graham who was behind me getting assigned to Chuck because he felt that it was safer for my dad to be in jail, that everything I did as a child was preparing me for this. But who knew that Chuck and I would…"

"No one. When your mom saw you two in Prague she knew that there had to be something more between the two of you and Columbia and Chile verified that. As parents we we're delighted, that was definitely not part of the whole plan. It just made it sweeter." Mary laughed.

"Hopeless romantic this one is," Stephen said pointing to Mary.

"Sarah, the prophecy was new to us as well but we knew that our children could handle it. The intersect was built for good but when we realized that it could fall into the hands of someone like Kovac we had to step in so that the prophesy could be fulfilled. But as we sit and wait, we hope that Bryce had come through and gave Chuck the original cipher. It is important to complete the final phase."

Sarah looked worried.

Stephen and Mary looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Bryce is dead! Fulcrum shot him the day before Shaw took me."

"And the cipher?"

"I don't remember if I gave it to Chuck in time. We needed to get out of there fast so I can't answer you either way."

**Western side of Narvik Norway 17:00 **

Chuck awoke to the Range Rover coming to a stop. Casey put it in park and got out. The air was colder and crisp. Chuck marvelled at the sight, he could see his breath in the cold air – another new experience for a Californian boy.

Laura grabbed her stuff and walked over to the front of the truck. "The next train leaves at 18:00 so we can get some food and something to drink on the train. I think that we should grab a semi private so we can plan our next move."

"Sounds good Laura, I'll go get our tickets." Chuck walked around the train station. Though it was dark he could tell that the buildings themselves had been there for a while. The train station had a pale yellow upper half that was in contrast to what was happening outside. Alongside the building was an old dilapidated trolley used for carrying luggage. He noticed a lone clock that hung on the wall surprised that it had not frozen in time. He continued to walk along the train stations deck. He could see in the background a very dark landscape which he assumed was a mountain side. As he looked up he was surprised to see the sky starting to dance. Chuck had never seen so many stars in one sitting. In fact, as a kid the only time he remembered seeing the stars was when he'd been camping with his dad and he'd pointed them out to him. He sat down on the bench and smiled when he looked up at the moon. It was in its last phase and by the end of the week there would be a new moon. He hoped that by then he'd found Sarah and they could enjoy some time together.

Laura came out of the train station and saw Casey by the truck smoking a cigar and Chuck sitting alone on the bench. She walked over to Chuck and sat down. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He smiled. "Not enough pennies for this one Laura."

"We're almost there. Next stop Kiruna."

"But what if she's not there?"

"We can't think that. From what you've told me about my daughter I know she'll find a way to get back to us. She will do whatever she can to come back to you and I know that you would do the same for her. You've proved yourself over and over to her and I know that you won't back down now. Remember Chuck you have two Burton women so you better…"

"Suck it up," Chuck interjected.

"Exactly," Laura replied. "In less than 5 hours we'll be near Kiruna so hold your head up high and keep your shoulders back; let's go find my daughter."

Chuck and Laura both looked up when they heard the train approach. They were lucky to have grabbed seats on the last train to Kiruna otherwise they would have had to wait till tomorrow morning. They boarded the train and settled in their car. Casey went to get some food and Chuck opened up his lap top to see if Sarah was on the move. Her beacon had stayed in the same spot since the last time he'd checked. He just hoped that she was safe.

Casey returned with some food as the train started up on its final destination Kiruna.

**Undisclosed location Sweden **

"Yahoo yippee," Stephen said as he made his way back to Mary and Sarah. "You were right Sarah."

Sarah sat up.

"The cipher is heading in this direction. I can only get a rough idea but it is sitting near the border between Norway and Sweden so I am guessing that Charles is coming in from the north. If that is right he should be here sometime after midnight, give or take a few."

Sarah welcomed the news and hoped that it was Chuck who had the cipher because that meant she would be in his arms by breakfast. "I need to know that Chuck is safe. I need to get in contact with him and find out if he has had any more bad flashes."

"In time Sarah, right now you need to get some sleep and we will make plans to meet up with Charles later."

"That's right Sarah, Stephen is right. We can't do anything till they get closer to us and right now they are over 5 hours away. You can't see Charles looking so tired and run down. Get a good night's sleep and by morning you'll be fresh and Charles will be close."

Sarah was too tired to fight. She needed her sleep, her muscles ached from the chill and the beating. She leaned back down on the pillows and covered up.

Mary covered her up with another blanket. "It might get cold down here. Stephen will make sure the fire stays hot for you. Don't worry this time tomorrow you will be with Charles."

Stephen and Mary stepped into the kitchen.

"She mentioned the bad flashes," Mary said looking worried.

"I know," Stephen replied. "I hope that when Sarah meets up with Charles she gives him the governor. It's the best that I can do without examining him. I don't know the degree or the intensity of the flashes or what triggers them. He should be used to them by now but maybe the amount of data is too much for him. I didn't think that this prophesy would come up so fast but once the data and intel is found it triggers the info like dominoes and maybe because of the amount of data at one time its causing the pain. The governor will act like a stabilizer; a bridge so to speak that will help disperse the intel he receives and reduce the pain. I can't do anything until he extracts the intersect or downloads the…"

Mary shook her head. "Not now – it's way too soon!"

"Honey I know that this is happening fast but I can't stop it now. Chuck has to decide, he has to make that choice."

"But another download this soon?"

"If it's not Chuck it definitely can't be Kovac. Chuck will have to destroy it."

"That is why Chuck has to have the cipher, you know that. We didn't make this difficult decision for nothing. We can't let one man destroy our families again."

Mary leaned in and wrapped her arms around Stephen. "I know, I get it and we knew that this day would come, but….."

"I know, I know. But right now we need to keep Sarah safe and when she goes we'll give the governor to her."

"Why don't you want to give it to him yourself?"

"Chuck needs to be focussed and seeing me or even you for that matter might not be what we all need right now. Once the prophecy is complete and Kovac and his son are put to rest and Fulcrum is destroyed we then can live among the living once again."

Mary gave a Stephen a quick peck on the cheek. "Ok my hero, let's get some sleep. We have a lot to do in the morning."

**The Ofoten Line Narvik Norway 22:00 hrs**

As romantic as a train ride was and could be, Casey and Laura weren't exactly the travelling companion Chuck was hoping for. He envisioned Sarah and him taking a train through the French country side. Waking up in each other arms like those romantic classic movies. Though their lives were not a Hollywood movie it did have its charm. Unlikely individuals destined to be together, destined to save the world from the evils that claimed it as their own. The sad part besides hoping for his dreams to come true, a thought entered his mind - he wasn't sure when the last time he told her he loved her. And looking at where he was and she wasn't he wondered. He had to hold onto the feeling that Sarah was still alive, that her beacon was a ray of hope. His heart fluttered and he thought what if at that exact moment Sarah's had fluttered as well. Though it sounded cheesy, their relationship was like that. Something he knew that Hollywood would never have thought up. Maybe some TV show producer might pick up on the idea but Chuck laughed at the thought of a TV show being exactly like his life. He got up and poured himself another cup of coffee. Casey had finally succumbed to sleep and Laura had been asleep as soon as the train left the station. Chuck never thought that he would riding a train in Northern Sweden with his girlfriend's mother and his friend, but the CIA was always full of surprises. Chuck chuckled quietly to himself and sat back down near the window. He pulled out his computer and opened up to his dad's cryptic message. He read it again and each time Chuck read it the more each word sounded like his dad was telling him something. Chuck read it through once more. But as he went through the message he listened to the songs as he went through each line one by one. This time he added names to which he thought might fit the bill beside Sarah and him.

_The prophecy has been told-thy battled through the ages - But still neither force would yield_

Ok dad where are you going with this? Are you telling us that Fulcrum and the CIA were battling way before this? Who knew about this prophesy besides you and Sarah's parents? Beckman? Kovac?

_The people were divided every soul a Battlefield._

The CIA and Fulcrum were divided. "That makes sense," Chuck decided. They both wanted the CIA to be something other than what it appeared to be.

_White Swan - Bring truth and understanding, folly and Wisdom, precious gifts beyond compare._

Way too easy here dad – being a nerd I guess has its benefits plus the intersect was a precious gift.

_To the heart of Cygnus fearsome - Force we set our course spiralled - through that timeless space._

Kovac, Kathy and Daniel Shaw, Klinger were project Cygnus while your dad and the rest of your team were project Omaha. You feared that if Cygnus got off the planning room floor then what you had put together would not be a teaching tool but a possible weapon of mass destruction. That if the cipher got into the wrong hands anything could be downloaded into these agents causing chaos within the walls of the CIA. And if that happened its effects would spiral out of control.

_I have memory awareness but I have no shape or form – I am dead and yet unborn. Six stars of the Northern Cross – the x-ray is her siren song._

Ok dad you got me here now what has no memory? I know that we can't always rely on our minds to help us think, to understand logic and our individual reasoning b But what can we rely on, our hearts, our intuition? Dad is there a middle ground? If so, where is it?

Chuck continued to think about the message. What are you telling me dad? _Think Chuck think_. Chuck got up still trying to process this information. He topped off his cup and walked outside the car. He needed air. He grabbed his jacket and headed out. He walked out trying to figure out what his dad was trying to tell him. Chuck had found himself in, near the baggage car. It was on the cold side but that was what he needed. He needed to clear his head. The moon had shone through a small window that led to the outside. Chuck sat down on the bench and stared outside. Chuck replayed the message in his head. Six stars of the Northern Cross, siren song….my ship can't resist her long – well dad I don't think that you had Sarah in mind when you came up with this message – she would definitely be a siren – Chuck smiled to himself. And yes my ship can't resist her but that has nothing to do with this – The black hole gains control – the black hole – Black holes are the cold remnants of former stars, so dense that no matter—not even light—is able to escape their powerful gravitational pull. Black holes are small in size. So what does that have to do with this? Dad I wished that you were here to help me figure this out. This message is not going to solve itself – you taught me that plus you needed a full deck to play cards and right now this house of cards is falling apart.

**Undisclosed location Sweden **

Stephen loosened his embrace as Mary continued to sleep. He needed to get Chuck's gift ready for Sarah for the morning. He slipped his feet into his Star Wars Wookie slippers that Chuck had given him when he was 10. Stephen knew that they had seen better days and they didn't really keep his feet warm but the fact that his son had given them to him made up for it. Stephen grabbed his housecoat and quietly walked downstairs. He knew that Sarah would wake up with the slightest sound, but was surprised she didn't. She must be very tired. Stephen thought to himself when he walked past the couch. He was still amazed that Chuck and Sarah had found each other. He knew that the spy stuff was explainable but the love between them – that was something he couldn't quite calculate.

Stephen grabbed a wooden box that housed his tools. He opened up his desk that house a retractable computer system. A flick of a switch and a few tugs here and there and his whole operation was at his fingers tips. Stephen reached for the watch and removed the backing. It was a watch that his dad had given him and he cherished the keepsake so he knew that Chuck would as well but this keepsake would be more than link to his past it would represent his future. This watch would be able to control the degree and intensity of Chuck flashes. Stephen worked well into the early morning hours.

Sarah awoke to the aroma of coffee and pancakes. She looked at the clock and was angry with herself that she had slept so long. She sat up and looked around. She grabbed Chuck's shirt. As she placed her arms in his sleeves her whole body gave a slight shiver and she hoped it wouldn't be long before she was in Chuck's arms again. She got up, folded her blankets and walked around the small apartment taking in the many pictures of Chuck and his sister Ellie. She was surprised to see a few pictures of her and Chuck when they first met. She made her way to the kitchen which wasn't too far away.

Mary smiled and placed a plate of pancakes, eggs and bacon on the table. "Good morning Sarah, how are we today?"

Sarah sat down. "A little better. I warmed up a bit. And yourself? Where's Stephen?"

Mary sat down. "I am fine and Stephen had to check on few things before you go."

"Any word on Chuck? Has he arrived?"

Mary could tell that Sarah was very anxious to see Chuck. She knew it had been almost a week since they had seen each other and knew it must have been hard to get through the days thinking that each other could be dead. Sarah was in a lot of pain from Shaw and Mary knew that she needed Chuck more than ever.

"No word yet but the coordinates on the tracker are getting closer so that's a good sign. Here eat and then we can plan our next step. A warm meal will warm the insides."

Sarah smiled a slight smile but waiting was never her cup of tea. All guns a blazing was Sarah's motto and not having breakfast with your boyfriend's mom, in a foreign country.

Sarah and Mary ate relatively quiet till Stephen opened the door to the small apartment.

Sarah and Mary both looked up. Stephen smiled at them both and gave Mary a quick kiss on the cheek and sat down.

"Morning ladies."

"Morning they both chimed in."

Mary got up and returned with Stephen's plate.

Sarah waited till he had a few bites before she attacked him with more questions.

"So what do we know? Where is Chuck?"

Stephen smiled and looked at Sarah. "The coordinates have them between Torneträsk and Riksgänsen which is west of Kiruna. If I know my son, Laura and Casey they are planning to come in from the west to throw off Shaw's men. I don't have the exact coordinates to say that they are right outside, but I do know that they are closer than we think."

"So when can we leave?"

Stephen and Mary laughed. "You wouldn't by chance want to see someone in particular?"

Sarah smiled, grabbed her coffee cup and put it to her mouth to take a sip before replying, "Maybe."

Stephen, Mary and Sarah knew that things would be starting to roll pretty quickly as soon as Chuck and the rest arrived in Kiruna. Stephen made a list of what Sarah and Chuck had found and retrieved since this mission started. Sarah looked over the list to make sure that the few items such as the globe and the key were added. The only thing left to find was what the key opened and what the globe was used for. Stephen had to stay quiet, and Sarah knew that he was. Mary got up and grabbed a black bag for Sarah. Sarah looked up and saw the bag. Mary opened it up and saw that enclosed in the bag was a few selected guns from Mary's stash, some euros, a satellite phone, and a rough sketch of where the next item to the puzzle could be. It had been over 20 years since Mary had hidden the items. So when Mary first drew the map she was on the run from Kovac's team. Mary had been chased through Europe and she had to find a place quickly. Mary sat down and told Sarah the quick version of the third item.

'Once Stephen found out that Franco Kovac was dirty and that he had his own intensions for the intersect I left LA and headed to Europe. Stephan had set up some safe houses along the way with a guy named Hartley, a fellow scientist. His team of scientist were working for Mi6. Anyways I got wind that Kovac and Colonel Klinger were hot on my trail. I called Stephen from a phone in a hotel in Oslo and Stephen knew that the line had been tapped. Stephen gave me the code words that I knew that I needed to get rid of the said item. Stephen told me that 'Out there is a new world! Out there is our destiny' - it was our way of saying that it was time to carry on with our plan. Just like you and Chuck were given the same line. Our attempt to change the world even if it/we feel small, we can make a big difference down the road. So I headed to Sweden where Kovac and Klinger followed me. I hid in the local mine waiting for my extraction team. My plan was to hide the items and head back to LA to my family. I was supposed to be there that weekend you met Chuck, when you were kids. But when I hid the items and was heading out I was arrested by Klinger. Kovac felt that if he convinced Klinger that I was the bad guy they could get their hands on Stephens work. But I didn't talk and when Kovac and Klinger were off discussing their next move I tore through the ropes and disappeared. "

"That is when I went looking for her, I didn't return."

"So when did my mom get involved if you two were on the run?"

"Sarah your mom tried to make a deal with a few business men who we now know were working for Kovac. Your dad was called in when your mom got in over her head. Your dad had to find some fast money, to protect all of you but you ended up hurt anyways. You broke your arm and your mom was found out because she was being watched. When your mom found out that she was recognized by Kathy Shaw she had to leave you. So when the mission didn't go as planned your dad took off with the money that was intended for Kovac to fund his project and your mom left to keep you safe and protect you just like we have been away to protect Chuck and Ellie. Your mom didn't want to leave, but after a while it was easier to stay away than come home. Plus if we did both of you wouldn't be safe not until this prophesy was fulfilled."

Sarah finally knew some of the reasons why her mom did what she did. Sarah didn't know what to feel. She was angry at her mom and yet she felt sorry for her. Sarah remembered that day when she broke her arm and yeah her dad the best that he could Sarah still needed her mom and for that she still felt angry with her.

Stephen got up and grabbed his jacket. He came back with a small box. He placed it on the table, and slid it to Sarah.

Sarah picked up the box and opened it.

"Sarah I need to you to give this to Charles."

"Why me?"

"He needs it and it's time for him to have it."

"Like an heirloom?"

"Yeah you can say that, so if you could give it to him…."

"Chuck needs to concentrate on this mission before we can have a family reunion, so if I was there to give it to him – he would lose his focus. So please give this to him and I PROMISE to answer his questions later."

Sarah closed the box and placed it in the bag that Mary gave her. Stephen looked at his watch.

"We should start heading out – we have a ways to drive till we get to Kiruna. I am assuming that is where you want to go?"

"I think that we should go where you think is best. Either way, all roads lead to Chuck right?"

Sarah jumped into the van and closed the door. Next stop the arms of Chuck.

**Riksgänsen Train Station**

Laura sat waiting for Chuck and Casey to return. They decided to find a route into Kiruna and survey the mine before they entered later that day. Laura sat and watched a young family sit and enjoy their meal. Laura quickly remembered one time and the last conversation she had with her husband Jack, when Sarah was little.

'Laura cradled a sleepy Lisa in her lap as she and Jack sat drinking coffee. "You should have joined the CIA then we wouldn't have to sneak around like this and Lisa wouldn't have to be pulled out of school, leave her friends and her grandparents."

Jack shook his head. "You know how I feel about the CIA. Look what it did to Stephen and Mary. I refuse to let that happen to us."

"But what about Lisa?"

"What about her?"

Laura ran her hand over her daughter's soft blonde hair. "She's too young to live this life or to be involved in this kind of lifestyle."

"We're preparing her to fulfill her destiny," Jack insisted.

"Are we?" Laura wasn't as sure about that anymore.

Jack caressed his wife's hand. "Yes we are and one day she'll appreciate the sacrifices we've made for her."

"Just one more time and she's out and you're out," Laura told him. "Then we can be that family again."

**One week later ...**

Lisa rode her bike through the small country town, whistling and enjoying her ride. Her job was to ride and 'pretend' to fall when the armoured truck started to move. She cycled in front of the truck and shrieked when the driver slammed on his brakes.

Never in a million years did Jack think that the truck would actually hit Lisa.

Laura couldn't go and check on her daughter because she was being watched so she fled the scene.

Laura snapped out of her memory ask she noticed Chuck trying to get her attention.

"Oh sorry, just going down memory lane."

Chuck smiled. "No worries."

Casey scooted beside Laura as Chuck sat across from them.

"So what did you find out?"

"There is no side entrance to the mine. Our options are to go through the front door or there are a few open windows on the far south side. There are a several guards watching the main door while a few are in vehicles. Most are packing light but we can't take that at face value."

"So, Casey suggests that we go through the windows. Casey saw a large crane that is situated on the south side. We need to get as close as we can to the south gate, climb up the ladder and sneak up and around the crane – climb it and jump onto the balcony that leads to the open window."

Laura looked at her watch. "It's a little after 8; we get in and get out. You do what you need to do and by the end of tomorrow you and Sarah will be safe and off to some warm tropical paradise."

"Wishful thinking! Let's just make sure that Sarah is ok then we can worry about this prophesy which I still haven't figured out yet."

"Chuck, in time it will all make sense, let's just do what we have to do so I can get back to state side. I am feeling a little pasty."

"You and your pastiness."

Casey grunted and scooted out of his seat. Laura followed and Chuck headed to their gear. Casey had 'borrowed' a truck which housed their gear and allowed them to drive closer into Kiruna without being seen. Casey drove up to the south end of the mine. Casey grabbed his binoculars and scanned the mine. The amount of men had increased by 5 but that was still nothing for Casey and his sharp shooting skills. Chuck grabbed his gear and slid his computer into his back pack. Chuck strapped his back pack on and pulled down on the straps. Laura and Casey followed.

Casey and Laura headed out first clocking and tagging those who had come in their paths. Chuck followed and headed up the ladder first then Laura then Casey. They reached the balcony and Casey pushed Chuck down. Laura had crouched down along the back side of the balcony. Casey slowly peeked over to see what the commotion was about. Casey saw two black range rovers enter and park. Casey noticed a tall dark haired creep named Shaw and his fairy men entourage.

"Looks like Shaw is here!"

"Is Sarah with him?"

"Chuck stay down!" Casey said trying to hold down Chuck.

"No I don't see her which means a couple of things. So don't go thinking the worse OK!"

"Why would Shaw be here unless he knows the where abouts of the third item?" Laura butted in.

"He can't, he needs the globe and the key and we have it."

"Maybe Shaw moved his business up here from Laos. Maybe this mine has a better copper supply."

"You might be right Casey but if that is so – he still needs the data. He's not that smart to come up with a cipher on his own – I have the one that Bryce gave me – which is the master cipher that he would probably kill for. Maybe that is why Bryce died he knew he had the cipher."

"Chuck if that was the case why didn't he take it?"

"Don't know Casey. If I was Shaw heavens forbid. But if I was I would need to find a way to download the information so that any new cipher discs can accept the data which can then be downloaded onto any PC or phone. The cipher I have needs a play back burner in order to retrieve the data that is on this. Without the burner whatever is on this disc will never be seen."

"So whatever has led us to this mine and the fact that a key and globe are our only clues. And we can't view this cipher I think that we are screwed."

"Way to have faith Casey."

**Kiruna Copper Mine 09:00**

Stephen parked the van a few blocks down from his recent coordinates on the cipher. He needed Sarah to go in along from here. It also gave Stephen and Mary easy access if they had to leave quickly. Sarah got out and strapped the bag around her neck, placed a gun in the small of her back and one in her boot. She turned back and said her goodbyes. But her goodbyes were not good enough for Mary and Stephen. Mary hugged Sarah.

Sarah turned to Stephen and gave him a hug as well. "Thanks for the rescue; I am so glad that it was you one the other end of the phone."

Stephen knew that Sarah was a good spy he just found out how good she truly was.

"You find our boy and take care of him. We will be in touch; we need to hear how the story ends."

Sarah headed up the street with Stephen GPS on the cipher. Sarah turned around, the van was gone. Sarah felt a little loss at the feeling of Chuck's parents being gone. It had only been less than 24 hours that she had been with them. Like being with Chuck she was heart warmed like she had never had been before. What was with this Bartowski family?

Sarah walked along the inhabited buildings that rang alongside the road leading into the mine. The recent snow had laid a scarce blanket of snow, which helped her conceal her tracks. Sarah looked at her GPS and crouched down. The cipher indicated that it was about a mile away. Or it could have been sitting right under her nose for all she was concerned. Sarah ducked in and out of the piles of wreckage cars and bent metal. Sarah was able to reach the North end of the mine. She looked towards the mine and saw 5 burly men and one of those men looked very familiar and she chuckled at the way he walked. 'Serves him right'. The soldier was giving the remaining men their orders not to let anyone in, but he forgot who he was dealing with. Sarah tried to see if there was another opening and for once on this mission luck had it a small delivery truck was entering. Sarah ran and jumped into the back and covered herself up with the tarp. She fell a little hard and tried not to express her discomfort. The truck drove past the men then she heard the older creep the one she left her mark on asking the truck to stop. Sarah laid quietly as she heard the tarp being removed. Sarah looked up as best she could and noticed that her foot was not covered. She tried not to move and hopefully he wouldn't have to look too far into the truck. As Sarah felt the tarp being removed by another familiar voice that sent a flow of discomfort through her veins. That voice brought back all the pain that had been taken away in the last 48 hours. The soldier stopped his rummaging through the truck and replied to Shaw's instructions. Sarah tried to regain her composure, when the commotion settled Sarah crept out of the back of the truck and headed to a pile of boxes. Sarah waited till she thought that that close was clear. Sarah stood up and leaned up against the side walls of the mine. This one was very familiar in design to the ones she had been in Columbia, Chile and Laos. Which helped Sarah maneuver herself through the mine? Sarah grabbed the GPS. Like she had probably assumed early the GPS on the cipher was nearby. Sarah was hoping that Chuck was on the other end of that cipher and not Shaw. She needed to see Chuck so bad that if she was given the choice she would quit spying just to live a normal life with him. She ached for him.

**Upper deck of Kiruna Mine**

Casey led the three down the stairs from the room that they entered. Casey knew that they needed to find security central so that they could have eyes on the mine and Shaw. Casey moved in and out the upper half the mine like he was on a retrieval mission. Casey clocked and removed several barriers even before Chuck or even Laura had a chance to see for themselves. Chuck tip toed over several of Shaw's men and not watching where he was going fell on top of Casey. Casey hit the floor and looked up. Chuck was grinning down at Casey and Casey's response wasn't too friendly. Laura helped Chuck up. Casey dusted off his pants and grabbed his gun. "Only you Bartowski, only you!"

Casey grabbed Chuck by his back pack straps and led him into the room that they were looking for. Chuck quickly grabbed his computer and hooked up his computer to the mines security system, which was a little more hi tech than the ones in Laos. Chuck quickly scanned the area for the whereabouts of Shaw. Unfortunately he wasn't seen on camera but they knew that he was in the building.

Chuck clicked on the several cameras and was about to finish scanning when he came across a slight though blurry image, he knew it had to belong to one person and one person only. Chuck got up and grabbed his bag and left. Before Casey and Laura knew what was going on Chuck was gone.

"Where did he go?"

Laura looked around then looked at the screen. "Lisa!"

Casey and Laura looked at the screen and the location of Sarah's visual. They high tailed it out to follow Chuck. Chuck went left and ran down the length of the mine. He had to reach the stairs and locate Sarah. Casey and Laura headed right and found a second set of stairs that led the main floor. Casey and Laura run down the length of the mine and see Sarah ducking in and out of the crates. Laura whispers 'Lisa'.

Sarah turns around and sees her mom and Casey. Sarah ran and fell into her mother arms. An embrace only a mother could give. Sarah tried not to show that she was hurt, but when she turned to Casey, Casey just gave her a smile. Sarah whispered 'thank you'.

Sarah looked around, someone was missing.

"Oh yeah brainiac thought that he would get to you before us so he is out there looking for you. He saw you on the cameras."

Sarah had to find Chuck.


	14. Chapter 14 Mind over Matter

**Part II at your service – Part III – very soon - As I reflect on this story and the comments that have followed – A show like this will never die – there are so many fans that want this show to live on – FF has given us that venue to do just that to KEEP CHUCK ALIVE – So many thanks go out to my readers for sticking around – Again 1000 thanks go out to MRW for her time on editing what comes out of my brain - She seems to be as excited as you all are when you get to read it – but she gets first dibs! So thanks again BUDDY!**

**So enjoy Part II of chapter 13….. I own nothing as I have been saying every chapter… **

**Chapter 14 Part II – MIND OVER MATTER**

**Kiruna Mine Sweden**

"I'll head in this direction and we'll hook up once I've that man with me, Ok?"

Casey and Laura nodded. Sarah ran east after Chuck.

Chuck got himself in a bind and tried to reclaim his steps. He walked past a small exit which he thought could be another stairwell and entered the dark corridor not watching where he was going. When he tripped and started to slide down some type of air vent he tried to hold on as his girlish screams echoed throughout the vent.

Sarah was heading up the hallway when she recognized the most melodic girlish scream she had heard in a long time and knew that it had to belong to her guy. She smiled to herself but feared what trouble her knight in shining armour had gotten himself into this time. She followed the screams to a side room which was dark and no bigger than the size of an average elevator. The faint light on the wall guided her and when she approached the vent she saw the most gorgeous man hanging on for dear life. She reached for Chuck's hands and wrists.

Chuck looked up. "Sarah, are you a sight for sore eyes but technically my eyes are fine. Never really got that phrase…"

"Chuck!"

"Yeah I know ... shut up!

"I'm glad to see you too – you don't know how much."

"Well you can show me how much you missed me after you get me out of here!"

Sarah pulled up and back on Chuck's wrists but didn't have the upper strength that she usually had so she hoped that he could do most of the work. She tried to pull him up but he was too much for her.

Chuck was losing his hold on Sarah and yelled, "Please hang on."

"I can't Chuck. Can you flash or something? I can't hold onto you much longer."

"I'll try."

He tried to focus on flashing. He didn't think that a flash would work but he had to give it a try – for their sake at least. He mustered his technique but as he drew himself into a flash the air vent turned on and blew dust in his face causing not an instant flash but an instant sneeze. The sneeze echoed through the vent and he lost his grip on Sarah and plummeted down the vent.

"Chuck!" Sarah heard a thud and jumped into the vent feet first as she slid down to the unknown.

Chuck turned over and before he knew what was happening his eyes focused on his angel as she landed hard on top of him.

As Sarah looked down at Chuck and wiped the dirt from his beautiful brown eyes he pressed his lips against hers then held Sarah's head in his hands as their lips engulfed in a long overdue lip lock. Their lungs had saved up enough air to make up for the week apart so they didn't come up for air for quite a while as they continued to embrace their reunion.

Casey and Laura headed back after hearing Chuck's girlish screams. Casey came across the bin that housed the vent that Chuck had slid down and opened the doors. As the dirt cascaded from the bin Chuck and Sarah followed as well still joined at the lips. When the sliding and crashing subsided they looked up to see Casey and Laura staring down on them. Sarah regained her composure and stood up while Casey helped Chuck to his feet. Sarah quickly hinged herself back into Chuck's arms. Despite the pain that Casey saw on her face she was home again in the arms of her Chuck.

"Well it looks like the gang is back together…." Chuck said trying to lighten up the already blissful room.

"Yeah, ok – we need get busy and find what that key belongs too."

"I know Casey but ..." Chuck looked at Sarah. He desperately wanted to take her away from this. They had been apart for the longest week of his life and he didn't have anything left in him to continue this mission.

Sarah could tell what Chuck was thinking but famous to her style she reassured him that they had to finish this mission.

They all sat down and Chuck filled Sarah in on what had transpired after the blast but he wanted to know what happened to her. He believed that he had the right to know. "So Sarah, after you left, where did you end up?"

Sarah looked around at Chuck, Casey and her mom. "I don't know much of anything until I woke up in a bunker type building. Shaw took me and made sure that he showed that he was in charge."

"Did he hurt you?" Chuck asked looking at Sarah.

Sarah shook her head. "It was nothing that I couldn't handle."

"Are you sure? Your face looks like it's been through the ringer."

"Don't worry Chuck, really I am ok." But as Sarah said ok her demeanour changed.

Chuck was good at seeing beyond what Sarah portrayed but Casey was even better. He knew that Sarah was putting on a show for Chuck's sake. She always did. That was one thing he admired about Sarah and that was her ability to be an agent but still make sure that others were taken care of. Maybe being in love with Chuck helped her do that. The old Sarah would never have cared what others thought or said. The agent in her was trained to do that. "Hey Chuck, Walker's fine and even if she wasn't you know that wouldn't stop her."

Chuck smiled. "Yeah you're right." He kissed the top of her head.

Sarah hated deceiving him but she had to keep him focussed.

Chuck took the cipher and globe out of his jacket. "Ok let's figure out what this thing does and get out of here."

**North End of the Mine – Sweden**

Shaw stormed in from his drive from the bunker. It had been over 48 hours since Sarah had pulled a fast one and disappeared. He sat down and grabbed the closest bottle he could find to drink from. As he approached the bottle a lone voice interrupted his drink.

"A little early for that, wouldn't you say my son?"

Shaw defiantly twisted the cap and drank from the bottle. "It's never too early! Which pile of ashes did you rise from?"

"It's good to see you too son, you don't know what I've been through to get here and all you can do is drink."

"You taught me well… I learned from the best, when you were around that is."

"Son, I've told you a million times why I wasn't around and you still hold that against me. I thought that running this operation would be enough for you."

"You have no idea what this operation has cost me. Besides losing mom, I haven't progressed as much as I would have liked. Certain individuals are making it very difficult to further my inheritance."

"Walker and Carmichael?"

"Yeah!"

"I got word that you had Walker with you."

"I did but she got the upper hand and Petor is reaping the affects right now."

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know. We searched the area and nothing. Maybe the weather got her or the animals. Right now I need to get the ciphers up and running. Walker is the least of my worries but it would have been sweet to rid this life of her after what she did to mom."

"Son in time you will be rewarded for your efforts. Mom would be proud of you. So what do you have so far?"

Franco and Shaw sat down sharing the contents of the bottle.

**South end of mine**

Chuck placed the globe and cipher down on the floor.

Sarah looked at the cipher then picked it up to examine it. She was amazed to finally see Stephen's invention. The original cipher, the original intersect, was in her hands. Stephen's vision of creating a teaching tool that enabled agents to maintain numerous amounts of data was no bigger than the average compact disc.

Her smile caught Chuck's attention. "What are you smiling about?"

"No reason, just the fact that your dad created this, all from an idea."

"Yeah but it's beyond me what it means for us and what we are supposed to do with it."

"Chuck."

"Yeah Casey."

"The globe tells coordinates right?"

"Yeah." Chuck sat up after Casey got his attention.

"So what if the riddle your dad sent and the coordinates of this mine have something to do with the location of what the key opens?"

Chuck sat pondering what Casey had said thinking that maybe the nerd in Casey was coming through. Maybe Casey was onto something. He pulled out his computer and opened his dad's piece of paper that they got from Laos. He gave the paper to Sarah and Laura and asked them to look for any coordinates that may have been hidden on the paper. He asked Casey to set up the globe based on the 6 points. Casey aligned the globe and adjusted it to the numbers that Sarah and Laura found on the paper. Chuck took another look at the riddle his dad had left him.

"The Northern Cross – 6 points – Black hole –" Chuck continued to mumble to himself.

"Chuck sweetie, where are you going with this?"

Chuck started talking mid thought. "My dad left many clues in the so called riddle as Casey calls them and he uses a lot of references from his favourite band. Their lyrics were not only lyrics to a song but they were written to justify the battles that you were all facing when you started project Omaha. You had the best intentions in mind but when Franco Kovac, Kathy Shaw and Colonel Klinger wanted to use the benefits for their own personal mission my dad stepped in and hid the cipher. I'm guessing that my mom was responsible for hiding the other clues."

Laura nodded and Sarah remembered the map that Mary had drawn up and knew that it was close but she wanted to see where Chuck would go with this first.

"Anyways the last of the clues are somewhere nearby. Shaw needs copper to make the ciphers and that is why he has taken over these mines." Chuck took the cipher from Sarah and held it up. "This cipher is either going to stop Shaw or advance him and whoever has it at the right time is going to win this battle as my dad puts it. We need to see where these coordinates take us and right now they are not taking us anywhere."

Sarah looked at the globe and Chuck's computer. "Hey Chuck, how would you set up a GPS signal on these coordinates if you had to?"

"Well Agent Walker, I never placed you as a nerd."

"I learned from the best."

Chuck smiled and Casey grunted. Laura smiled happy to see her daughter happy.

Chuck typed the coordinates into his computer. His search came up with several destinations. He then added to his search northern countries and came up with a series of numbers HDE 226868. He typed in the coordinates and Cygnus X-1 came up on the screen. He quickly read on and his findings came up with a scheduled time: 19h 58m 21s.

"So what do you have?"

"I don't know Laura, maybe you can tell me."

"Well I'm not sure but I will try."

"Ok, the coordinates bring us here to this location."

"Ok."

"And the numbers HDE 226868 are a set of stars near the tip of the handle of the big dipper that houses the constellation Cygnus. There was speculation back in 1974 that a few scientists believed that Cygnus wasn't a candidate for black hole status but later investigations proved that Cygnus was part of a black hole."

"Ok Chuck where are you going with this? If it's guns and shooting I'm in but astronomy? You've lost me."

"Sorry Casey but we are so close I can feel it. After Sarah told me to set up a GPS on these coordinates ..." he looked at her. "By the way, what made you think of going that direction?"

"Just something I picked up on. Don't worry it's a reliable source."

Chuck looking apprehensive at Sarah's quick response then he shrugged it off and resumed his findings.

"Anyways in order to get a true idea of these findings we need to set up this globe and see where it leads us. So Laura did my dad tell you anything that you might share with us? I mean you guys planned this."

"Chuck I don't know where the item is that fits this key. Your mom was the only one who knew where she hid it and she hasn't said anything. "Whatever is up there," Laura pointed to the sky, "Together with the globe and coordinates will help you find what you're looking for. It has to work. Like you said, we are so close."

Chuck looked at his computer. "Sundown is in a few hours. By then the skies will open up and hopefully we'll find what we're looking for."

Chuck and Casey returned from setting up the coordinates and the globe outside. Chuck explained his plan to the team; he hoped it would work. It was a long shot ... a very long shot. He asked Laura to climb the crane just outside the window that they'd entered that afternoon. He kept Laura on mic so that they could all talk amongst themselves.

Chuck then had Casey sat on lookout for Shaw and his men. They knew that he was still in the building and they didn't want to rouse the evil giant especially Sarah.

Chuck and Sarah grabbed their gear and headed further into the mine but before Chuck left he gave Casey and Laura each a set of lasers. He got an idea that reminded him of the movie 'The Mummy' when they were underground and needed light and Brendon Fraser's character adjusted huge mirror type discs to let the light in. Chuck drafted up his own mirror reflection with the lasers. If the coordinates were right and at the exact time that was given 19h 58m21s Laura's laser would be aimed to Casey's and Casey's to Chuck's and hopefully aimed at the location of the third item. Chuck knew that it was a long shot.

Chuck and Sarah sat on a small crate waiting for the time to tick closer. Chuck took her loose strands of hair and placed them behind her ears then caressed her cheeks and their lips met. He wished that the kiss was telling them that things were done and this mission was over. Sarah placed her hand on his and held his hold on her. He leaned in and placed his head on her forehead.

"Soon Chuck, very soon. I missed you."

"I missed you too; I was so scared when I couldn't find you after the blast. And when we were on the flight over here I felt that something was wrong and I woke up in a fright."

"Me too," Sarah admitted. "I screamed because Shaw wanted me to believe that you were dead and I didn't want to accept it." She brought his face aligned with hers. "You heard me?"

"Weird isn't it? But Casey thought it was possible. I guess it was."

Sarah kissed Chuck again. This time Chuck lost his bearings and fell over. She laughed.

"Funny Sarah, I'll get you back."

"Can't wait," she grinned. "I believe that a full body rub down is in order."

Chuck twisted his eyebrows. "Hmm Agent Walker ... are you trying to telling me something?"

"Yeah and I hope that you're not going to decline my order."

"No ma'am. I just hope that it includes a bed this time."

"You and me both."

"Are you two finished? Have you forgotten that there are others on this party line?"

Chuck and Sarah laughed.

"Sorry Casey. Sorry mom!"

"No worries," Laura replied. "I was surprised when Casey told me that when you two start to talk it reminds him of a bunch of schools girls. Casey, I think they've graduated from that."

"Only something a mother would say," Casey grunted. "Ok guys if we can get serious now. The clock is heading to 19:30 hrs. So just before 20:00 hrs this should all come to a head. Are we all ready?"

"Yes," they all chimed.

"Good to go," Sarah said. "I just hope that the few clouds that are out tonight won't cause us any problems."

"Just hold the globe in line with the right coordinates then point the laser to Casey," Chuck replied. "Casey you aim your laser adjacent to those coordinates and hopefully they will point to where the third item is."

"I hope you right Chuck, I want to go home," Sarah said.

"Fingers crossed," he replied. "Casey and Laura let us know if things change outside weather or people wise."

"Will do," they chimed.

Laura climbed up the scaffolding and got into position. Casey leaned his back against the wall and positioned his laser to what Chuck assumed were the coordinates.

**North end of mine**

Shaw and his dad had finished the bottle ... well the first bottle ... hours ago and were heading for a second when Petor walked in with his infamous Walker injury.

"Boss all is quiet on the North end but chatter has been coming through on the South end that warrants an investigation. All our men posted there have gone quiet. It may be nothing but we now know what nothing can bring."

Shaw raised his arm. "Go ahead, anything that needs my attention call me immediately."

"Will do sir," Petor replied then exited the room.

"Son, are you ready for the weekend? You need to have the cipher ready."

"My people have been working on the cipher for a while now; I think that they've got what it takes to make it work."

"Even without Larkin's part?"

"Larkin's intersect was a disappointment but like you said we can add our own data and Intel plus Bartowski wasn't the only scientist with a goal for this project."

"Thanks son but until our cipher is downloaded and we find that burner we can't really do anything. How close are you to finding the burner?"

"It has to be here. We've checked Columbia, Chile and Laos and nothing turned up except Walker, Bartowski, and Casey. Mary was last seen here so she had to have said item on her when she entered the mine."

"Yeah but this place is huge and nothing has surfaced in nearly 20 years," Kovac replied. "If Mary is anything like her husband she'll keep its location secret till the day she dies."

"Maybe, but I need a few more days till I'm satisfied with the outcome."

**South End**

As Sarah shoved the watch box into her jacket pocket and walked past Casey he noticed again that she wasn't running on all pistons. "Hey Walker, are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You might be able to fool Chuck and even your mother for that matter but it's me who's asking. I know you're not ok."

Sarah looked at Casey.

"Shaw hurt you badly and not only in Laos."

She nodded. "Maybe a few bruised ribs but I'm not 100% sure. I did get in a few punches myself though."

"I bet you did. So where did you end up after leaving the bunker?"

Sarah glanced over her shoulder and saw Chuck typing at his computer then she looked at Casey and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I've heard everything on this mission so whatever you have to say won't surprise me."

"When I escaped I found a phone and dialed for an extraction like we're supposed to. When I dialed the number we were given I got what I thought was Interpol. They told me stay low and wait so I found a small coffee shop and hid from Shaw. When I saw his truck driving down the street I slipped out the back as he entered the front of the shop. I was heading down an alley when I was stopped by a van. The doors opened and a voice called out, 'Out there is a new world! Out there is our destiny'. I got in the van and must have fallen asleep because when I woke up I found myself in a small apartment with non-other than Chuck's parents."

"Chuck's parents …. Orion and Frost?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'd heard those words before and knew that I had nothing to fear from the people in the van, that's why I got in."

"Wow, so how did Orion know that it was you calling?"

"I guess he had eyes on us and when a call came through from this area he figured that it had to be one of us."

"Chuck doesn't know yet does he?"

"No! He needs to concentrate on this mission."

"Good idea, if he knew about it he would want to go looking for them and abort this mission."

"Right plus I need to give him something that his dad gave me."

"What's that?"

Sarah pulled out the watch box and showed it to Casey.

"A watch?"

"Yeah."

"It could be an heirloom or something."

"Maybe but Stephen was adamant that Chuck gets it and wears it soon."

"So have fun with that. He'll ask you where you got it from cause he knows that you didn't bring it with you."

"I'll deal with his questions when I need to. Right now we need to find that burner." Sarah headed towards a smiling Chuck.

Chuck looked at his computer checking the countdown. He waited as the clock ticked 19h58m21s.

Laura leaned into the scaffolding and aimed her laser down to Casey.

Casey adjusted his laser to the coordinates that Chuck had given him.

Chuck waited and watched where the lasers could end up. He looked and scanned the area around him.

Sarah stood back as well watching for any indication that the lasers had reached their destination.

Chuck hated waiting especially when he was so close to finding the burner. When the time rung up to 20h0m12s he sighed unable to hide his disappointment.

Sarah walked up to him and rubbed the back of his neck.

Chuck leaned into her feeling like he'd lost his only chance of finding the spot. He moved out of Sarah's arms when Laura called down to them.

"Cloud's just moved. Hang on while I adjust the globe."

Chuck waited as a slight tinge of laser light crept through the narrow walk way. He watched as Casey's laser crept up the wall. The laser continued to climb the metal wall then stopped and bobbled on a spot shy of a metal plate. Chuck and Sarah ran to the spot and started to feel for an opening. Laura climbed down and followed Casey to the laser target. Chuck continued to look for a seam, but the metal plate was encased in rust and other corroded material. Casey walked up, grabbed his army knife and started to chisel away at the material. As Casey dragged his knife up and down the plate it became evident that what they were looking for was a hidden panel. Casey continued to drag his knife as Chuck shimmed his fingers behind the panel. Casey shoved his knife into the side of his pocket and helped Chuck remove the panel. The four looked into the panel and saw that it led downward to who knows where. Chuck grabbed his flashlight. The spot where the laser stopped gave him an idea where to look.

Chuck ran back to his backpack and grabbed a harness and rope. He was climbing into his harness when Sarah ran back to him. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Down!"

"No you're not! You have no idea where that hole leads to?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Yeah."

"Well what is it?"

"I'll go."

"No way! If I can't go down there then neither can you. I lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again."

"Then I guess we go together."

"Fine!"

Sarah grabbed another harness out of Chuck's backpack and put it on.

**North End**

Shaw looked at his phone. A security breach had been triggered. His men entered the room followed by one of his computer scientists.

"Sir we have activity in the South end. Someone has triggered the silent alarm on the abandoned air shaft."

"Why would there be anyone over there? I thought you said everything was fine."

"It was fine. We found nothing."

"I guess you didn't look good enough." Shaw walked over to the monitors and scanned the mine. He flipped his cameras onto the south end of the mine and played back the last few hours of surveillance tape. He quickly fast forwarded the footage till he saw someone climbing out of a window and up the scaffolding. He zoomed in and recognized Laura.

The look on Shaw's face got his dad's attention. Kovac stood up and walked over to the monitors. "Son, do you recognize her?"

Shaw looked at his dad. "You can't really trust anyone, can you?" He swiped his hand across the table taking the monitors with him. "Find her and whoever else is there!"

The men stood like there were waiting to be asked to leave.

"NOW PEOPLE!" Shaw walked over to a side cupboard, grabbed a few magazines and pistols.

"What are you going to do?"

"Dad she's been playing me from the start, she needs to be eliminated. She knows too much and if she's working for someone else then they won't live to see another day either."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Lie low for now. You need to stay out of sight till this cipher has done its job." Shaw quickly left the room and headed to the other side of the mine.

**South End**

Chuck threw a few flares down the shaft to see how deep it was but they disappeared into the darkness so he still couldn't tell how far down the bottom was. Casey helped position Chuck and Sarah as they lowered themselves down the shaft. Chuck went first and plummeted down several metres before bracing himself across the narrow shaft.

Sarah came zipping down and if by personal intention her legs straddled Chuck's with ease. His face was inches from hers and she held her breath desperately wanting to kiss him again. The more she thought about it the more she bit her bottom lip as she watched Chuck position himself to find the compartment that the laser had pointed to.

Chuck could feel Sarah shifting above him. He tried not to focus on her straddling him; he knew from experience that if he let their compromising position distract him he would lose focus and nothing would get done. He locked his harness just below Sarah's jaw line then locked hers. He noticed Sarah doing her lip thing; those lips were a lethal combination and one taste was never enough. He reached up with his flashlight to scan the wall behind her. When his arm brushed her cheek he grabbed Sarah and brought her close.

Sarah swung into his arms and Chuck caressed her face when their lips met. They were lost in their own world for a few seconds as they kissed then a familiar voice echoed down the shaft.

"Ready when you are," Casey called.

"We're ready," Chuck hollered then he smiled at Sarah. "Soon baby very soon but first we need to complete this mission."

Sarah turned around so that her body was molded over Chuck's lap fitting him like a glove as she felt for something to open the door. Chuck shined his flashlight back and forth till something caught Sarah's eye. She brushed the cobwebs and dirt away from what looked like a key hole then turned to look at Chuck. "Maybe?"

Chuck reached in his shirt pocket and grabbed the key that they'd found in Laos. He gave it to Sarah and she fitted it into the key hole. It fit but after a few tries she realized that it wasn't the right key and handed it back to Chuck. She reached into her vest and grabbed her lock picking kit while Chuck continued to hold her in place which made up for the disappointing moment earlier. She took Chuck's hands off her hips and made him point the flashlight at the key hole as she picked the lock and within minutes there was a click from the compartment. Chuck smiled as Sarah pushed them back. She couldn't open the door completely so he shimmed over her head then leaned back to look down as Sarah opened the door. They both shone their flashlights into the compartment and she leaned in to get a better look.

Chuck held they steady. "What do you see?"

Sarah never responded. She scanned the small room and grabbed what she could then as she was turning around she noticed a metal box almost like a soldier's containment box, a little bigger than an average carry on piece of luggage. She leaned further into the compartment, grabbed the box and dragged it out. It wasn't as heavy as it looked.

Chuck saw Sarah's legs backing out then her hips then the rest of her. When she pulled the box out Chuck didn't know what to say. He was surprised that the box actually existed and hoped that it was the third item they were looking for. _Why wouldn't it be? Chuck thought to himself._

Sarah looked at the box then at Chuck. "You were right!"

"I guess so …."

Casey was getting impatient and hollered, "What's happening down there?"

"We're coming up," Sarah called. "We found it."

Casey started extracting Chuck and Sarah from the shaft.

Shaw caught up to his men. They had discovered that there were at least four people in the mine and two of them were in the shaft. He pushed his way through to an escape hatch a few floors below and ripped open the door. When he looked up he saw Sarah and Carmichael climbing back up the shaft.

Chuck and Sarah didn't notice Shaw at first till Casey looked down to see where they were. "Guys hurry up! Shaw has spotted you! Chuck speed up."

Sarah tied the box to her belt and started shimming up behind Chuck.

Shaw grabbed his gun and fired a shot at them but it missed and hit the door. He pulled the trigger again and nicked the box Sarah was carrying causing her to swing hard into the wall. Hitting anything hurt like the dickens and this was no exception. Sarah bit down on the pain and continued to shimmy up the shaft.

Casey pulled Chuck up and he fell to the floor, rolled over and jumped up then reached in and helped pull Sarah up faster as Shaw continued shooting at her.

Chuck grabbed Sarah's waistband and pulled her up then he looked down the shaft and made eye contact with Shaw.

Shaw fired a round of gun fire as Chuck closed the door.

"We need to get out of here now!" Laura yelled.

"Shaw must know why we're here. It took him long enough to figure it out but I have no doubt that he'll make up for lost time," Casey said. "We need to get out of here."

"Your right," Chuck replied as he removed the box from Sarah's belt. He kissed her and smiled then tossed the box into her backpack. Sarah followed the team out the door.

Shaw pushed back and ran out the door. "They can't leave this mine. Shoot to kill. I need that box!" He ran towards the exit to meet up with Chuck and the rest of the team.

Casey led them through the mine but they needed to split up. He turned around and looked at Laura, Chuck and Sarah. "I'll go east with Laura; you two go west. If anything changes head straight to Abisko and we'll meet up there like we planned.

"Why Abisko?"

"Don't worry Sarah, Abisko is our safety net."

She didn't like the idea of splitting up the team but knew it was the safest option so she said goodbye to Casey and gave her mom a hug.

"Hang in there girl, you're almost done," Laura said. "I'm so proud of you."

"You take care," Sarah replied. "John, please take care of my mom."

Casey nodded.

Laura gave Chuck a hug and a kiss. "Keep my baby girl safe."

"I will," Chuck replied then headed west out of the mine with Sarah.

Shaw and his men emerged from the side entrance and saw two people running from the mine. They chased after them assuming that they were Agents Walker and Carmichael.

Casey knew he had to stop them so he set a few traps. He got a few of Shaw's men but as he and Laura celebrated their victory more men appeared and it wasn't long before they were overpowered.

Shaw walked into the room thinking that his men had captured Agents Walker and Carmichael so he was disappointed when he came face to face with Casey and Laura. "Why did you capture them?"

"You said to look for a man and woman," one of the men piped up.

Shaw walked over to the man and pistol whipped him. "It's the wrong man and definitely the wrong woman." He walked up to Laura. "Who knew you were playing me, that you were loyal to Bartowski? Not surprising really. So tell me Laura where are Agents Walker and Carmichael?"

Casey shook his head slightly hoping to get Laura's attention so she wouldn't say anything.

Laura remained silent as she looked at Shaw.

"Fine, don't say anything. I'll get the information out of you eventually but right now I need you to stay alive till I get back what I've been looking for." He turned around to leave then turned back. "By the way, thanks for doing all the leg work. Now that I know who has the box it won't take me long to find them. Once I have the box in my possession I can take the final step to creating a whole new intersect cipher." Shaw directed his men to take Casey and Laura to the bunker that had housed Sarah a few days ago.

Chuck and Sarah hid in a vacant building at the edge of the mine. Chuck laid low, pulled out his computer and noticed that the battery was running low. He needed to find the coordinates to Abisko. He typed in their current location and studied the map.

Sarah sat down on her backpack and adjusted her jacket. She was still feeling the effects of the last few days and her body was not yet warmed up to where she wanted it to be.

When Chuck noticed that Sarah was cold he opened his backpack and grabbed the jacket he'd brought for her. He helped her into it and zipped it up. When he kissed her lips they warmed her up just a little bit more then he went back to looking at the map.

"Chuck, can I tell you something?"

He looked up. "Sure what is it?"

"I need to tell you where I've been for the last few days. Besides the bunker and escaping and you knowing that I was rescued the only thing you don't know is who rescued me and brought me to Kiruna."

"Interpol right?"

"Not exactly," Sarah replied. "Before I tell you I need to give you this." She opened her jacket and retrieved the watch box then leaned in and gave it to him.

Chuck opened the box and recognized the watch; he hadn't seen it for a very long time. The last time he'd seen it was on the wrist of his father. "Why do you have my father's watch?"

"I don't know how he did it but your dad intercepted the call I made to Interpol. He and your mom ..."

"You saw my mom?"

"Chuck listen please, I need to tell you this."

He got up and paced the room. Sarah followed and tried to console him but he was too angry. "Chuck please listen, your parents somehow found us, found me, and took me back to their apartment. We talked about the prophecy and they wanted to hear about you."

"Yeah I bet they did."

"Chuck they saved me from Shaw. If they hadn't been there he would have found me and I wouldn't be here with you right now." Sarah walked up to Chuck and wrapped her arms around him. "I know you're not pleased with what I'm telling you but your mom is alive and she and your dad have their reasons why they left you and Ellie and one day they will tell you about it but right now I need you to direct your anger towards completing this mission. If by chance this watch is a small olive branch of good faith and your dad wants to make up for lost time then you need to accept that. What I heard from your parents is exactly what my mom went through. Yes I've seen my mom but I've also seen and talked to your parents and what I got from those few hours was that they mean well ... they always did. Chuck your mom even saved your favourite shirt." She opened her jacket to show him his shirt.

Chuck remembered his mom buying the shirt for him when he turned 10. It was one of the last gifts his mom had bought for him. It was way too big for him at the time but when he was 12 he had a very good growth spurt and the shirt was the only thing that fit him so he'd worn it all the time. He was surprised that his mom had kept it after all these years.

"See Chuck, our parents made some stupid choices but they were for good reasons. I have a lot of questions to ask my mom and I'm glad that she isn't dead. You can be angry at your parents but don't hate them for what they did to you and Ellie. Wait until you hear the whole story and try to keep an open mind."

"Did she make you pancakes?"

Sarah laughed. "How did you know?

"Your mom made me pancakes in Laos the day after you disappeared; it must be a mom thing." Chuck brought Sarah closer. She flinched but the need to be in his arms was greater than the pain of her injuries.

Chuck and Sarah shared an embrace in the quietness of the early morning but the moment was lost when they saw big trucks, Range Rovers and a helicopter appear. When they peeked out of the window and saw a set of bright lights scanning the countryside and vacant buildings they grabbed their gear. Chuck stashed his computer in his backpack and draped it over his shoulders then he looked at Sarah. "We'll be heading south west to Abisko. There's a safe house there near the eastern border of Norway. It should take us a few hours or so. Are you ready?"

"Ready."

Chuck made sure nothing was left behind to indicate that they had been there. They waited till the lights disappeared then headed to the hills outside Kiruna. They were making good time until Chuck felt that they weren't alone. He stopped and turned around to scan the landscape.

Sarah stopped and walked back. "What's wrong?"

Chuck continued to scan the countryside. "I have a feeling that we're not alone."

Sarah took Chuck's night vision goggles out of the side pouch of his backpack and scanned the area. She looked in the direction that he was looking and got a visual that ran fear into her veins. Chuck was right, they were being followed.

Chuck took the goggles, scanned the area and was met with evil eyes. He needed to get Sarah to safety without Shaw finding them. He shoved the goggles into his jacket pocket and grabbed Sarah's hand. "He won't hurt you again, I promise."

Sarah knew Chuck's words were sincere but the damage had been done and she hoped that Chuck would still be around when the time came when he found out what Shaw really did to her.

Shaw sat back after getting the visual on Agents Walker and Carmichael.

"Now what boss? You're letting them get away?"

"I'll let nature take over," Shaw replied. "When the storm is done we'll retrieve the box from their cold dead hands and continue our mission without any interference from people like them."

The driver put the truck into reverse and headed back to the bunker.

The wind started to pick up as Chuck and Sarah continued their hike. Chuck grabbed his flashlight and shone the path ahead of them. They had reached a line of trees that sheltered them a bit from the cold wind but not from the snow. The more they walked to West the more snow they encountered. Chuck was keeping a good pace but Sarah was starting to fade. He stopped and let her walk ahead of him. He needed to keep her going because he wanted to reach the cabin by sunrise.

After a few hours Sarah needed to sit down. She found a stump and sat down. Chuck took his backpack off, retrieved a water bottle and handed it to Sarah. She took a swig and passed it to Chuck so he could have a drink too.

Chuck needed to know the time but his computer was inside his bag and lacking in the battery department. Sarah pulled out the watch box again and Chuck removed it from the case. He shone his flashlight onto the watch then slid it on his wrist. As he snapped it shut a feeling that he couldn't describe ran through his head. It was like someone had popped a cold bag of ice on top of his head. His head felt clearer than it had in weeks. He took a long deep breath. Sarah noticed the subtle change and wondered why the watch had that much of an effect on Chuck. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…..I think so. I feel a little weird but good at the same time."

_Maybe the watch did have magical powers? Maybe Stephen knew something after all; maybe a family heirloom was what Chuck needed._

Chuck crouched down next to Sarah and held her cold hands. He rubbed them and brought them to his lips. His warm breath tickled Sarah's fingers and warmed her soul. Chuck continued to hold Sarah's hands in his as he looked up at her. The tension at that exact moment could melt the snow around them. They desperately wanted to act on what they were feeling but knew it would have to wait. Sarah released her warm hands from Chuck's hands and placed them on his face. "You know I love you right."

"Of course I do! Why would you have to ask that question?"

"No reason, I just wanted to hear you say it."

"Well Miss Walker I do love you with all my heart and when we get to that cabin I promise to show you! And when I am done I will show you again and again. You have been out of my sight but not my mind for a long time so I have a few things to make up for."

"Can't wait….."

Chuck kissed her lightly on the lips. If he could kiss her like he wanted to they wouldn't be leaving this spot any time soon. He stood and helped Sarah up then they started walking again. "So Sarah it's been a while since you've been at Abisko?"

"What?"

"Abisko, you haven't been there for a long time right?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well didn't you and Bryce head up there when you first started being partners?"

"Bryce and I never went to Abisko."

"Yeah you did ... when you were passing through to Oslo."

Sarah wondered where Chuck was going with this. "Chuck, we were never together in Abisko. I didn't even know that there was a cabin near here. I went to Valfojäkla but that's further South and Valfojäkla is a mountain shelter not a safe house."

Chuck flashed on the name Valfojäkla and images of Sarah and Bryce's mission ran through his brain.

When Sarah recognized his expression she stopped him. "You flashed?"

"Yeah and you did end up in Abisko. Your report to Graham stated that you and Bryce where there for a while."

"Chuck I didn't….."

"Have you forgotten that I know all about the Andersons? And judging by look on your face I know more than I should, don't I?" He walked on leaving Sarah alone to mull over his question. She hated that Chuck knew about her relationship with Bryce and the way he'd found out about it because that had led to him getting shot. She wished that they had the chance to talk about his flash but the last few months were beginning to be a blur and the few things that Sarah did remember were the good times with Chuck like their first time in the mine shaft, their breakfast the morning after their second time, the flight to Laos and cuddling with him on the couch so why would he bring this up now? She tried to catch up to him but couldn't so she followed his tracks as best she could. She finally reached a hill and saw Chuck looking out towards a lake. "Why did you leave me back there? I could have gotten lost."

"I guess you didn't did you cause your right here."

"Chuck I'm so sorry that you flashed on my time with Bryce but that was the past and you're my present and future."

"Did you sleep with him up here?"

Sarah was taken aback. "Did I sleep with him on missions? Is that what you're asking me? Did I sleep with Bryce? Of all the time and places to ask such a question, you're asking it now?" She shook her head. "What does my past with Bryce have to do with the here and now? Who cares if I slept with Bryce? He's dead Chuck, he doesn't matter to us anymore."

"Well that's where you're wrong Sarah. He does matter because if you slept with him on missions I guess you make it a habit of sleeping with your partners."

"Chuck! Bryce and I never slept together on missions. Is that what you wanted to hear? Yes Bryce and I slept together but as quick as it started it ended. Yes Bryce wanted to but I was adamant that we kept our professional life separate from our personal life then I met you. You were different Chuck. I crossed several lines with you and I don't regret any of them. I do take offence to the fact that you still need to compare yourself to Bryce. You're more of a man than he was. I can't change what you've seen and flashed on but I hope that you can set that aside. What we have is never going to compare to what Bryce and I had – if we had anything at all. Like I said as soon as it started it ended and it ended long before you and I got together."

Chuck despised the burden of what the intersect brought and what it had the power to do. He walked over to Sarah and took the box out of her backpack. He held it in his hands. He didn't know what the box held inside but knew that whatever it was would change the world. Knowing what the intersect had brought him up to this point he didn't know if he was ready to carry the burden of what this box would bring.

Sarah walked up to Chuck and placed her hand on his. "Please let the past go. We need to complete this mission and I need you to be you. The man I fell in love with. The man who warmed my heart and broke down my walls. I need you as much as you need me."

Chuck didn't look at Sarah but faintly whispered, "Sorry."

"Chuck look at me."

He looked up looking like he had the world on his shoulders and he was standing on a hillside looking over a lake in the middle of winter in Sweden. He brought his eyes towards Sarah's.

"Chuck please…..I am sorry too."

He placed the box under his arm and grabbed Sarah's hand. "Just a little longer, can you do it."

"If you're with me."

Chuck and Sarah headed into the storm that had picked up as they made their way over the hills closer to the lake. He slowed down unsure of the ground beneath them. He tried to stay close to the tree line but the ground underneath was unforgiving and he slipped a few times taking Sarah down with him. Chuck got up again and continued to walk. He came across a fallen tree that they had to climb over. They were about 50 feet away from the cabin. The shore line had increased as they entered the main part of the lake. The night air was still very silent. Chuck could hear the water flowing underneath them. He stepped carefully as the snow crunched and cracked under his feet.

Sarah stepped into Chuck footprints to be on the safe side but his wide gait was too much for her.

Chuck was about to reach for the log when his foot slipped sending the box up into the air and landing on a snow chunk behind him. He got up and looked back as Sarah reached for the box.


	15. Chapter 15

**Well the final chapter is here – many thanks for those who took the time to read and review.**

**Many thanks goes out to MRW for her time and effort – it has been an interesting year or so putting this story together – and now that it is complete – sadness surfaces that this story is over but the adventures are never over. Thanks MRW!**

**Enjoy the final chapter and please review – I would LOVE to hear what you thought? **

**I own nothing…**

**CHAPTER 15 – Part III – Is this how the story ends?**

"Sarah hang on I'll get it."

"No I got it." She leaned back, misjudged her distance and stepped wrong on her foot. The ice cracked and split.

When Chuck reached for Sarah and she went under he threw his backpack off and jumped in after her.

Sarah surfaced in the icy water holding the box.

By the time Chuck reached Sarah she had no strength left. He tossed the box onto the shore and pulled Sarah out of the water.

Sarah lay on the icy snow stiff and unable to move.

"Sarah, why did you go after the box? It wasn't worth it."

"For …you… I did it for you…" she replied, her teeth chattering.

Chuck scanned the area. "The cabin's not too far from here. Can you make it?"

"I don't know … too cold."

Chuck placed Sarah over his shoulder. He left the bags and trudged through the snow until he reached the cabin. He leaned Sarah against the side of the cabin and ran back to retrieve their backpacks. When he returned he opened the zipper on the side and grabbed the key, opened the door and carried Sarah into the cabin. He found a couch in the dark and laid Sarah down. He ran back and closed the door then frantically looked into his backpack and grabbed a lantern and a couple of the blankets that he'd left in the backpack since Chile. He ran back to Sarah. "Hey babe, we need to get you out of these clothes." He quickly tried to get Sarah's wet clothes off.

Sarah, in her dazed state, knew that Chuck couldn't see her without her clothes on. He would see the tensor around her ribs, the bruises and the work of Shaw. She had to stop him but her fingers were too cold and her strength was gone.

Chuck took Sarah's coat off and tossed it on the floor then he reached for her shirt, well his shirt but it looked good on her. _I need to tell her that._ He reached for her tank top and got a little resistance when he tried to lift it off her then he noticed the tensor around her waist. He finished undressing Sarah leaving her underwear on. He got out of his wet clothes down to his boxers and lay down beside Sarah covering her up the best he could. He found a down filled quilt that was colder than cold but in time it would be enough. He needed to get Sarah warmed up as best he could. He knew that they had to use each other's body heat for now. When things improved he would start a fire and properly heat her up.

Sarah chattered and moaned the rest of the night. Chuck couldn't imagine how cold she was. This amount of cold could be felt right from her core. He rubbed her back and shoulders under the blankets. Sarah lay with her arms under her and curled up beside Chuck. After a few painstaking hours she finally settled though she had not warmed up as fast as Chuck did.

Chuck rolled away from Sarah and covered her up then he grabbed another blanket and placed it over his shoulders. He scurried over to the fireplace and found a few remnants of a previous fire. And who knows how long ago that was. He found a pile of wood that would keep them warm for a while then went to his bag to get the matches that he'd packed. 'Always a boy scout – never come unprepared.'

Chuck lit the fire and the flames engulfed the dry wood. When the crackling fire was ablaze and light shone throughout the room cascading a light glow over Sarah he walked back to feel if the warmth of the fire could reach her. _Just barely he thought to himself._ He pushed the couch closer to the fire, not too close, but enough to gradually warm Sarah. He grabbed a rope from his bag and made a makeshift clothes line near the side wall near the fire that extended above the hearth of the fireplace. He hung up their wet clothes to dry then walked back to Sarah and sat down wrapping her back up as well as himself. He leaned against the couch facing her while sitting on the floor. All he could do was watch her hoping that she didn't catch a cold or worse. He was freaking out and had no one to tell him to stop. He brought his blanket over to him and the glow of the fire caught his dad's watch. He looked at it and wondered, _Why the watch and why now?_

Chuck must have dozed off because the logs had turned to hot coals. He got up but the position in which he'd been sitting wasn't ideal for his tall stature. Maybe it was from the cold as well but he too wasn't feeling well. He threw several logs on the fire and reached up to see if his clothes were dry. The only thing that had dried was his old shirt. He grabbed it and put it on surprised that it still fit. If it fit him it must have been a dress on Sarah. As he brought the collar down he got a whiff of Sarah, her scent engulfed his senses as he turned around to look at its owner. The glistening of Sarah's face caught his eye. Chuck walked over and placed his hand on her forehead. His worst fears were confirmed, Sarah was burning up.

Chuck tried to help break Sarah's fever but having her unresponsive didn't help. He melted some water in an old pot over the fireplace, let it cool (which didn't take long) then grabbed a towel, dipped it into the water then caressed Sarah's face it. His mom used to do the same thing for him as a kid when he had a fever; cold compress and chicken soup but all he had was a few bags of cheese balls, a few granola bars, hot cereal packets and water; not what you would call a 'first aid' type fever meal. He continued to wipe down Sarah's body the best he could. He lifted the blankets to wipe down Sarah's upper chest and arms; it was the first time he'd seen her bruises. He lifted Sarah's right arm as it was the closest to him. He saw that the tensor was wrapped pretty tight and the bruises had diminished in some places but some were dark blue purplish in other areas. He knew that the lighter colored bruise had to be from Columbia because he'd seen her body in Laos which meant that the darker bruises had come from Shaw. Chuck loathed him even more and felt Sarah's pain as he continued to look her body over ... the amount of bruises she had brought tears to his eyes.

He carefully caressed Sarah's body not in a sexual way but in a loving tender way. How could someone hurt her this badly and cause so much pain? His tears fell on her body. Why Sarah? Why didn't you say how bad you'd been hurt? She needed to wake up because he couldn't go on without her. _I promise that Shaw will pay – he will pay._ Chuck leaned in and kissed Sarah's hand then her forehead. Her skin almost burned his lips and he realized that her fever was getting worse. He covered her body with the blanket and wiped his eyes. The love of his life was fighting for hers. With all that she'd been through – the knife fights, the scuffles and gun fights – it was a fever that finally brought down the infamous Sarah Walker.

**Undisclosed area near the Kiruna mine**

Casey and Laura were tossed into the same room that Sarah had been housed a few days before. Casey saw the broken chair and knew that it had to be the works of Sarah. The laptop was still smashed on the floor. The door closed and Laura and Casey went to work trying to find a way out of there. After investigating they knew that they were there for a while. Laura walked over to the computer and tried to see if there was any life in it. To her surprise there was enough battery life and Wifi left to send an encrypted email to Stephen seeking his help.

Casey watched as Laura went to work. He could swear he was watching Sarah sitting in front of him.

Laura quickly went to the most obvious website if you were a nerd of course. She typed in her code to a fan site for the original movie Tron and was directed to an encrypted page that she broke through quite quickly.

Casey watched as the page looked more like a scene from the Matrix. The screen went blank and he feared that Shaw had found out or the battery had died.

Laura looked up to see Casey's expression. "Don't worry Major – have faith!"

"Easier said than done."

Laura smiled and a single conversation bubble appeared on the screen. She typed in her codename Aquila.

Casey's mouth dropped – Chuck was right Aquila was an actual person. Aquila/Laura was the same person. He watched as another bubble appeared on the screen. The name Orion popped up.

Laura typed a quick message stating that they had been captured and taken to an underground bunker, maybe the same one that Sarah had been in earlier. The box had been found and was in the hands of Chuck and Sarah who were on their way to Abisko - send help – computer possibly compromised. No way to communicate otherwise – message GB – use IP address signed Aquila and Major Casey. Orion typed back – will do, see you soon – the prophecy will be answered.

The computer screen went black as Shaw entered the room and saw Laura sitting in front of it. He walked up to her, pushed her aside and tried to refresh the screen but was unsuccessful. "What did you just do? Who did you contact?" He pushed Laura again and this time Casey intervened.

Shaw's men pistol whipped Casey and he fell to the floor but got back up. This time Shaw aimed his gun and shot Casey in the leg; he fell back and grabbed his leg.

Laura looked at him.

"Next time I'll aim higher. Who did you call?" Shaw grabbed Laura by her hair and sat her back down on the chair. One guard watched Casey while the other stood behind Laura. "So you think you could fool me and I wouldn't notice? This whole time I trusted you – at times you were like a mother to me but you were just biding your time till now. You may have fooled my dad – and I really don't know what relationship you had with him and I really don't care but he must have had some feelings for you to trust you for this long. The whole time you were working for them. You were the eyes to this whole operation; the 20 year battle between the Omaha and Cygnus Projects. You played your role as well as Agent Aquila and yeah it took me a while to figure you out but when Agent Walker walked in I honestly thought that I was seeing double. I didn't see the resemblance at first but your actions and demeanour changed when Agent Walker was roughed up a bit and how you stepped in to stop me from hurting her more. I forgot to mention to you that when I took Sarah from Laos I made sure she got what was coming to her – let's say that if Carmichael had any feelings for her they wouldn't be enough to deal with what I did to her – what I did to Walker was a far cry from what she did to me…."

"She did nothing to you!"

Shaw grabbed Laura's face in his cold gloved hand. "Nothing! She killed my mother! That is far worse than what I did to her ... Walker is lucky to be alive or maybe she's not. The last time I saw Walker and Carmichael they were heading into the storm and it wouldn't take them long to succumb to it. When they are dead I will take the box from their cold dead hands and I will not feel sorry for them!"

"She didn't kill your mother!"

Shaw let go of Laura's face.

"You want to believe that she did it but I couldn't allow my daughter to get messed up with your mom or dad. Your mom knew too much and she had to go."

"You have the nerve….."

"The truth hurts doesn't it? Your father had no intentions of keeping your mom around – she was only good for one thing and that wasn't keeping national secrets. She betrayed us and had to die but I made sure it wasn't at the hands of my daughter."

Shaw walked over to Casey and stopped. He looked at Laura who had turned her back to him then looked at Casey and kicked him hard causing him to fall over in pain. Shaw motioned to his men, the steel door opened and he left.

Laura got up, grabbed her belt and tied it above the gun shot wound. Casey grabbed his shirt and tried to stop the bleeding.

"Thanks, so you're Aquila…..Chuck was right about your name having something to do with this mission."

"Chuck is a very smart man with or without the intersect."

"He is."

"Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah it's just a flesh wound…"

"Yeah sure it is."

"So have you been in this place before?"

Laura stood up. "No, I've heard about it but after Sarah came back I never gave it much thought."

"Do you think Orion will get help?"

"Stephen will do what he can. He has the IP address; the cipher has a GPS and so does the box so Sarah and Chuck will be found; the issue is when."

"The storm sounded pretty bad outside. I wonder if they managed to reach Abisko."

"Those kids are very resourceful. I know that they made it – they had too."

**Office of the CIA – 05:00 pm**

General Beckman was running late for her lady's night with Condoleezza Rice. She had postponed a couple of times already. This mission and having her best team out there had her on pins and needles. A lot was at stake and the world depended on what this team came up with. She headed to the parking garage and entered her black SUV then her back seat phone rang. It was the same phone that rang a week or so ago. She picked up the receiver and waited. A lone male's voice came on – at first she thought that it could have been Chuck but as the voice continued she knew that she was finally talking to Orion.

"General, its Orion or Stephen Bartowski as you know me."

"It's been a while."

"Yes, I can't talk long. Aquila/Laura just sent me a message. Carmichael and Walker are at a safe house in Abisko in Sweden. Major Casey and Laura are locked up in an underground bunker – the same bunker that housed Agent Walker – here are the coordinates: 68°27° 01.90' N."

Beckman quickly wrote them down. "Anything else?"

"The third item has been found and both teams need extraction. I will try to get hold of Charles via the satellite phone that Mary gave to Sarah. I know that all of this is confusing but you will be informed soon. You've taken care of my son for some time now; the least I can do is return the favor by informing you of his whereabouts. Goodnight Diane."

"Goodbye Stephen."

**Abisko safe house – early morning**

Chuck continued to toil with the phone. The storm clouds had disappeared but by the looks of the sky they would be back. He turned on the phone hoping that the clear skies would allow it to get a signal. He waited and the phone rang in a low monotone dial tone. He clicked on the button and said, "Hello. Hello? Is there anyone there?"

As Chuck played with the channels a memory from the past entered his mind. He recalled his dad always telling him 'aces Charles'. He looked at the phone and dialed 11.

The phone rang and a voice came on asking him to answer the phrase, "Out there is a new world."

Chuck pressed the button and replied, "Out there is our destiny." He waited as the voice changed from a computer to an actual person.

"Son, is that you?"

"Mom?"

"Yes Charles it's your mom."

Chuck hadn't heard his mom's voice in nearly 20 years and his eyes started to fill up.

"Sarah found you. How is she? How are you?"

"Sarah has a fever and is not doing well and she is hurt really bad."

"I know son."

"I can't lose her mom, I can't."

"I know son, but you need to have faith that everything will work out."

"Are you safe?"

"Yes for now and you?"

"Son we haven't been safe for 20 years but if things work out there's a chance that we will be. I know that you're angry with me and your dad but we will explain all of this soon."

"I have so many questions mom."

"I know son but you need to focus on Sarah and this mission first – don't worry about us."

"Sarah told me the same thing."

"I like her. She'll make a good wife one of these days."

"Well I guess we better go on a date first." Chuck looked outside; he could see the clouds returning.

"Mom I might lose you, the clouds are rolling in again."

"Ok hang in there your dad has contacted Beckman. Casey and Laura have been captured by Shaw but she sent us a message so we hope that they are alright."

"Mom!"

"C-h-a-rles…"

"I'm losing you."

"Stay there, we'll find you and Sarah …I…love….."

"Mom!"

The phone went dead. Chuck had always wondered what it would feel like to talk amongst the dead or the living dead – if it was possible this would have been the closest thing to it. He ran his fingers through his hair then rubbed his stubbled chin and looked at Sarah. He noticed she was very restless and walked over to sit beside her. He lifted her up and laid her back down in his lap. He caressed her face again with the cold cloth. Sarah continued to mumble but as she tried to settle down then she cried out 'Chuck'.

Chuck whispered. "I'm here baby, your safe."

"Chuck?"

"Honey you have a fever but we're safe at Abisko, it's just you and me now."

"So cold…."

"I know, I know…."

"You ok?"

"I am ok…."

"So cold….."

Then Sarah was out again. Chuck wrapped her up and held her tight. A few hours later he was awakened by the woman in his arms becoming restless again. He looked down and saw Sarah's beautiful blue eyes. He continued to stare in her eyes and caress her face as he brought her hair back around her ears.

Sarah twisted her neck to get a better view of her saviour. She tried to sit up but couldn't.

Chuck helped her on her second attempt and Sarah sat up and leaned against the couch facing him. She noticed the shirt he was wearing.

"It was only thing that was dry enough to wear and as you can see I'm not wearing pants yet."

Sarah noticed that she wasn't wearing a whole lot of anything either which meant that Chuck had seen her bruises. She quickly covered up but he leaned in and placed his hands inside her blanket and brought her up onto his lap. Sarah cuddled up to him and the tears began to flow. Chuck held her tight – tight enough so that Sarah knew he knew enough of the story. Chuck squeezed his eyes shut when they started to fill up as well. Sarah nestled her face in the small of Chuck's neck and laid her legs over his.

"I am so sorry Sarah. He's going to pay for what he's done to you, I promise you."

Sarah looked up at Chuck and with a finger caressed his face and wiped the single tear that had fallen. Chuck and Sarah sat by the fire holding each other as the wind started to howl again outside.

**Safe House noonish **

Chuck finally was able to put his socks and pants on. His feet were finally warming up and the cabin had reached a tolerable temperature. He noticed that they were running low on wood so he grabbed his jacket and put his boots on. He took one last look at Sarah as she slept quietly – her fever had broken which he was happy about because she was finally getting some much needed sleep. When he walked outside the crisp air opened up his senses and gave him a burst of energy. The sky line was a light shade of grey with some resemblance of the sun popping up over the lake. In all that Chuck had seen during his time at the cabin, this place was very nice, very quaint, and a far cry from the beaches of California. He walked around the side of the cabin, grabbed a handful of logs and carried them indoors. He made a second trip outside and added another more logs to the pile beside the fireplace.

Chuck threw a few logs on the fire then hung up his jacket and changed his shirt. He placed it near the fire so that Sarah would have something warm to wear when she woke up then he went into the so called kitchen. He found a few cans of food but the writing was in Swedish so he wasn't sure what they were. He could have flashed but wanted to have some fun so he opened all the cans and ended up with some fruit and baked beans. He found a box of crackers but they had seen better days. He wasn't keen on hunting game plus he didn't want to alert anyone to their presence so he grabbed a rod, found a tackle box and was just about to go outside to catch some fish when Sarah woke up.

"Leaving me already?"

When Chuck walked over to the bed Sarah grabbed his shirt and brought him closer until he was lying on top of her then she kissed him. Her lips were a long awaited dream come true. They embraced the moment as their lips duelled the lip dance. Sarah's hand rode up Chuck's back shooting a sensual feeling up and down his body.

"Looks like someone is feeling better?"

"Don't you know it?" Sarah continued to feel up Chuck but he needed air so he pushed himself up and off of her. The blanket slipped exposing more than he needed to see at the moment.

"I would like to continue this but you need to rest and I need to find us some food."

"So fishing is your answer?"

"It's either that or stale crackers, a few cans of baked beans and some fruit that may give us a buzz. Of course there are always my special cheese balls, hot cereal and granola bars for dessert."

"That bad huh?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I figured we could suffer through having some fish; we can pretend its chicken."

Sarah smiled.

"You get some rest; I'll be back in a bit."

"Chuck, I'm not tired but I would like to wash up if I could and maybe get dressed. I see you've changed your shirt so that means I have something to wear."

"Sure, there's hot water in the pot and a pale of cooler water beside it….not sure if there's soap or anything but a wipe down is better than nothing. At least you have hot water…I wasn't so lucky…" He kissed Sarah again then left the cabin.

Sarah got up and wrapped the blanket around her. She shuffled around the cabin and found a bar of soap. She wasn't sure how old it was so she soaked it for a while then grabbed a basin and filled it with the hot water. She carefully unwrapped the tensor glad to be free of it because she was able to breathe a little easier. She grabbed the towel that Chuck had used earlier, dunked it into the hot water and bathed her body. The hot water felt good on her skin and she basked in the privilege of a sponge bath.

Chuck had found a hole in the ice and dipped his rod into the water. It wasn't long before he got a bite; the first fish was an average size, the second was a little bigger and the third about the same. Satisfied with the three fish he'd caught he gathered up his gear and headed back to the cabin. He noticed that Sarah had changed and looked refreshed. She'd heated up the beans on the hot coals of the fire and laid out some plates and utensils on the table then added the candles and cheese balls she'd found in his backpack although she wasn't sure what he'd had in mind with them.

Chuck placed the fish down on the cutting table, grabbed a knife and chopped the heads and tails off the fish. He found a frying pan, cleaned it out as best he could then placed it on the fire to burn off any germs and dust. When the pan was hot enough he placed the fish in it then walked over to Sarah and wrapped his arms around her.

Sarah embraced Chuck and leaned back.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better now that you're here."

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Chuck, you know me better than that."

"Yeah, but you gave me a big scare with the fever and such…"

"I know that the fever freaked you out not to mention finding out about the bruises like you did but I'm fine."

Chuck turned Sarah around to face him. "Why didn't you tell me how hurt you were?"

"I needed you to focus on this mission, not my injuries."

"Have you forgotten that you're a big part of this mission? Being concerned about you is just me caring about the woman I love."

"I love you too."

"I know you do but you need to let me in. How long were you going to keep it from me?"

"I don't know…..Chuck promise me that you won't go after Shaw. He's not worth it."

"He is so worth it. He hurt you and I can't let him get away with it."

"Chuck they're just bruises. They will eventually go away."

"True but the effects will linger just like the memories of my wounds. The fact remains that I was hurt and that will never go away and neither will that creep until he gets what's coming to him. If I'm the one to make him pay I happily sign up to that." Chuck released Sarah to check on the fish. He flipped all three fillets then stirred the beans.

Sarah walked over and leaned against Chuck's back. "I know you want to protect me honey and I love you for that but there's some battles that are not worth fighting and Shaw is one of them. We need to focus on this mission and get back home. I'm still waiting for our date."

A short while later they sat down to eat the wide variety of food they'd prepared while Chuck filled Sarah in on the call he'd had with his mom.

Sarah was happy that Chuck had talked to his mom but she could hear in his voice that he was still angry with his parents for disappearing from his life.

"We have to sit tight till we hear from them again," Chuck said as he got up and removed their plates from the small table.

While Chuck busied himself in the kitchen Sarah grabbed the mattress from the bed and moved it closer to the fire. She laid down facing the fire while Chuck did his thing.

Chuck tossed a few more logs onto the fire then turned around and smiled at Sarah lying on the mattress. As he laid down beside her he remembered a conversation that they'd had a few days ago about a bed. He looked at her with such awe that his heart skipped a beat. How could one person make his life so complete? The last 3 months had been a rollercoaster to say the least. They had gone from being total strangers to being a couple joined not only in love but in spirit that had been sealed by the act of love.

Chuck caressed Sarah's face and kissed her lips. He wanted to make love to her but feared that he would hurt her.

Sarah rolled on top of him and started to unbutton his shirt. She kissed his chest and made circles in his dark hairs.

Chuck leaned back then grabbed her hand. "Sarah we can't, you're hurt."

"That may be so but you're the gentlest man I know so I know you won't hurt me."

Chuck sat up with Sarah straddling his hips. He started to unbutton her shirt - well actually his shirt – which made the experience even more exciting. He let the shirt fall to his knees, removed her bra and slowly removed the tensor. Each time the tensor slipped around her ribs he kissed her body then he carefully rolled over and laid Sarah down. He worked her jeans then her underwear sending kisses flying everywhere. He removed the rest of his clothes and slid under the blankets. He looked at her one more time. "Are you sure?"

"More than I have ever been, besides we can't waste this bed…you promised."

Chuck smiled and brought his lips to hers. He carefully took Sarah and they became one. He took his time and was as gentle as he could be – the experience would definitely not go unrewarded.

Sometime later Chuck laid, motionless with the love of his life molded to his body. The fire was out but it had had a little competition last night. He brushed Sarah's hair away from her face and kissed the top of her head. He carefully broke his embrace and wrapped one of the small blankets around his waist then got up and stirred the remaining coals before adding a few more logs to warm up the room. He went to his backpack to see if there was anything left and felt a few packets, maybe hot cereal or even coffee – a nice cup of coffee would do the job. He pulled the packets out – one of each – well I guess we will be sharing. He opened the door and quickly grabbed some fresh snow. The cold air felt brisk against his naked skin. He placed the pot of snow on the stove.

Sarah lay sleeping as Chuck made the cereal and a cup of coffee. He grabbed the biggest cup he could find to try and stretch their rations to two cups of coffee.

Sarah awoke from her restful sleep to the aroma of caffeine.

Chuck walked over to the window and watched as the sun slowly rose over the hillside of the lake. The storm had created a wonderful new landscape with frost as thick as his wrist hanging and draping its beauty over the huge pine and spruce trees. He noticed a few wild deer frolicking in and out of the trees as if the land was their very own playground. He took a sip of his coffee – it lacked sugar and cream but it would do the job. As he brought the cup down a set of warm arms encircled his waist. He reached down and held the arms in place.

Sarah planted kisses up and down Chuck's back – each kiss involuntary jerking his body forward. She walked around to face him, grabbed his coffee and took a swig.

"There is a cup for you over there."

"Yeah I can see that but this one is so much sweeter." Sarah finished off his coffee.

Chuck took the cup from her his gaze never leaving hers as he placed the cup on the ledge of the window and smiled. He picked Sarah up and embraced her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him. Chuck kissed the nape of her neck and carried her back to the mattress. Sarah removed the blanket that was hindering the moment from going further. She allowed him to take over and as the flames danced in the fireplace new sparks were being created between Chuck and Sarah.

Afterwards Sarah cuddled up to Chuck and held his hands in hers. She caressed his chest and made circles around his healed wounds.

"Should we put the tensor back on – how are your ribs?"

"What?"

"Earth to Sarah?"

"Sorry just caught up in the moment I guess."

"You guess? You're very quiet. Is it your ribs?"

"No my ribs are fine; nothing that a good cuddle can't fix."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Sarah sat up and leaned on her left arm. "No, you can never hurt me. It's just ..."

Chuck sat up and leaned against the edge of the couch. "It's what?"

"It's this whole mission," Sarah replied. "It hasn't gone as planned. It was supposed to be an in and out mission but we've been on it for months. I'm wondering what will happen to us when we open that box. I can't go back to the way things were…I can't... not after this!"

Chuck lifted her chin. "I can't either. I can't have Beckman telling us that we can't be together. Casey told me that he's fine with us as long as it doesn't interfere with missions."

"I think that what we've been doing has affected the mission. I've crossed many lines that I swore I wouldn't cross but I don't regret any of them. Casey is right, Beckman might not agree to us being together."

"So what now?"

"I don't know Chuck, all I do know is that we need to finish this mission, complete the prophecy then hand everything over to Beckman and face the music."

"It's our parents work Sarah. I don't think that they would want this stuff to be just handed over to Beckman. I really don't know what, if anything, Beckman has had to do with this mission."

"She's the only one who can grant us the freedom to be a couple and still be spies at the same time…and whatever she has in connection with our parents, that's her issue not ours. We are destined to do this part the rest is up to them."

Chuck lowered Sarah to his chest.

"I know babe, we have a lot to figure out and I guess we need to start by laying all the cards on the table."

"And it starts with the box."

"Yes and no…Sarah I need to confess something to you."

Sarah sat up again. "What?"

"It may not be a big deal…"

"Spill it!"

"Remember when we had that fight after the Lon Kirk mission?"

"How could I forget?"

"Anyways after I said what I said to you and you slapped me…."

Sarah nodded.

"I took off and hid in that side panel of the hallway at Castle. It was the only place where no one could find me especially you. I needed to be alone. I must have dozed off because the next thing I know I'm hearing a commotion in the next room. At first all I heard was someone crying then I listened more and heard you."

Sarah was shocked. She'd thought that she was alone with her thoughts but obviously not. "You heard everything?"

Chuck nodded. "It wasn't intentional."

Sarah shook her head and sat up and leaned herself against the couch to the right of Chuck. She brought her fingers to her mouth as it was something she did when she was thinking. "I know that you didn't mean to overhear me. It's just…."

"You're human?"

Sarah felt a tear form in her eye. "No one was supposed to hear me."

"I'm so sorry, but I felt that I needed to hear why you did what you did with Lon Kirk and Bryce. It was way before Casey told me the truth or actually showed me the truth."

"Casey showed you what?"

"I was moping around Castle and he was sick of it; he saw how distraught you were so he forced me to watch his feed of the night at Fitzroy's mansion. I saw what Bryce did to you and that you walked away. Then when you were with Lon Kirk I guess I was a little jealous that it wasn't me you were making out with. I needed to accept that it wasn't something you wanted to do; you were just doing your job."

Sarah got up and straddled Chuck. "Did you know that you're adorable?"

"Maybe."

Sarah kissed Chuck gently on the lips, brushed his hair back and ran her fingers over his stubbled chin.

"I'm thinking that you're ok with me overhearing you?"

"No, but I like that you stuck around and never gave up on us even when unknown forces kept saying otherwise."

"So where does that leave us now?"

"Well…." Sarah dragged her index finger down his neck and circled his chest then headed south.

"Do we have time? We have a mission to complete Agent Walker."

"Agents need to know how to multi task plus who knows when we'll be able to reconvene for a personal debriefing in the future."

Chuck raised his eyebrows. That got a chuckle out of her. He wrapped his long warm arms around Sarah and held her close as his lips caressed hers.

"Just remember I'm injured so please be gentle."

"Ready for round three?"

"Don't you know it?"

**Kiruna**

Shaw hurried to the basement of the textile factory. He opened the door to a room of computers and video screens then opened several boxes containing hundreds of mini discs labelled Project Cygnus. He opened his suitcase to find one complete disc and took it out as he noticed his dad walk into the room with Petor.

"Is that it?" Franco asked.

Shaw nodded. "Yes, well our version of it. The techs finished it a few hours ago."

"Is all the data on there as discussed?"

"Give or take, I added a few extras. What I got from your files was pretty straightforward and I should give Bartowski some credit for coming up with the schematics like he did but he failed to add a backup lock shift system to it."

"What do you mean?"

"Your files indicated that Bartowski had only one download. We know that when Larkin downloaded the intersect he didn't save the files anywhere because we came across the burnt out portable drive. Unfortunately we don't have the box yet to duplicate the discs. Our techs can't do it without the original burner and right now it should be frozen in a pair of dead CIA agent's hands as we speak."

"Son I'm impressed. What took me 20 years to put together you've done in less time than I anticipated."

"Well dad if it wasn't for you going on your own who knows what Bartowski would have done to you or to the future of the intersect? Bartowski had no vision and now that Larkin has taken a bullet and Agents Walker and Carmichael are dead popsicles we have nothing to fear. The CIA will be knocking down our door which is what they should have done 20 years ago."

"Well I guess we go looking for a box then? What about Major Casey and Laura?"

"Speaking of Laura, did you know that she was an agent?"

"Yeah, she and your mom were two thirds of a CIA team called the CAT Squad. I lured your mom away with my charm and tried to do the same with Laura but she was already married to a guy named Jack. "

"Agent Walker's dad?"

"Yeah. The last member of the squad was Mary Bartowski aka Frost. We were once friends in College but when Stephen Bartowski got weird it all backfired so we broke our alliance and created the Omaha and Cygnus projects. When Stephen split he took us down with him and to this day I loathe that man."

"Dad, Laura told me that Walker didn't shoot mom. She told me it was her."

"Son." Franco placed his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Women will say anything to get out of a predicament. Laura is just playing with your mind. Walker killed her and you need to eliminate her but maybe the weather did it for you."

Shaw wanted to believe his dad. Why would he lie?

"So what about Major Casey and Laura? What are your plans for them?"

"They can rot as far as I'm concerned. I need to find the box first then I'll deal with them." Shaw placed the disc back in his suitcase, closed it and walked out of the room with his dad. "Once we duplicate the original Cygnus intersect we can come back here and make additional copies. I'm glad we have enough copper to mold into discs, with that amount of data a regular disc wouldn't cut it."

"I was looking out for you and planning ahead," Franco replied. "Now let's go and find that box, shall we?"

**Undisclosed bunker **

Laura checked Casey's leg. The bleeding had stopped. Casey tried to get up but she pushed him back down. "Listen Major, I know that you want to be all tough and such but this is not the time or place. I need you to keep your strength for when we get out here and if you're like any other male species please heed the warning. My Jack didn't and ended up in jail several times."

"I thought that Graham put him there for safe keeping."

"She did the first time but Jack's paperwork got lost in the shuffle and they let him go. He got himself into trouble again when he tried to con some men about a high rise building or parking lot - I forget which. I've lost count of his cons and we haven't been in contact for some time."

"Has Sarah seen him?"

"I don't know. She keeps things hidden quite well from what I hear."

"Yeah but Chuck has broken her walls so you might have a chance with her now."

"They're good together, aren't they? Do you think they made it to Abisko?"

"Chuck will carry Sarah to get her there safely if he has too."

Laura went to the door and called for a soldier.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting us out of here."

A soldier came to the door and peeked through the window slot.

"Please help him, the bleeding hasn't stopped. We need bandages and a doctor."

The lone solider opened the door and kept his gun on Laura as he walked over to Casey who pretended to crouch over in pain. The soldier bent down with one eye on Laura and the other on Casey's leg. "It looks ok to me," the soldier said in broken English.

"Look again!" Casey said grabbing the solider. He sucker punched him with an uppercut to the lower jaw sending the soldier flying backwards. Casey got up and grabbed the soldier's rifle, gun, extra clips and walkie talkie then he hobbled over to the open door. "Let's go get the kids."

Laura smiled when Casey gave her the gun and quickly exchanged it for the rifle.

Casey grunted. "Like mother like daughter."

"Don't you know it?"

Casey and Laura headed out of the bunker.

Orion had come through again and as Casey and Laura climbed out of the entrance of the bunker they saw Norway and Sweden's black ops soldiers lining the area. They recognized some of the soldiers from Stojordal Norway Vaernes Air Station. Casey saluted them and thanked them for coming.

"No problem Major," the Captain chided. "But I do fear this General Beckman? She seems to be a powerful woman. I wouldn't want to cross her."

Casey smiled. "No you wouldn't, you wouldn't have a chance with that feisty woman."

"She did tell me that you need to call her."

"Ok do you have a satellite phone?"

"Yes follow me."

**Washington – General Beckman's Office**

"Yes Major, Orion called me directly. We're assuming that Chuck and Agent Walker are together at Abisko and that their relationship hasn't been compromised."

_Casey held his breath thinking if only you knew how compromised it was General._ "No ma'am, their relationship is as it was before we left."

"Good, we wouldn't want them to change the dynamic that they've created, would we?"

"No ma'am."

"How are you Major?"

"Fine, it's just a flesh wound."

"A flesh wound? I hardly think your wounds are ever just flesh wounds Major."

"Yes ma'am. So what do you want us to do now?"

"I need you to go to Abisko to get Chuck and Agent Walker, retrieve the box and bring it back to me."

"What about Laura, Orion and Frost?"

"Interpol will deal with them. We could have them extradited to the USA but until Orion and Frost are found we don't have a say."

"Maybe Walker knows where they are?"

"Why she know?"

"Orion and Frost picked Walker up and saved her from Daniel Shaw after she escaped from the same bunker we're at now. They dropped her off at the mine a few days ago."

"Interesting. When you're all back state side I want a full report from each of you."

"Yes ma'am. I better run if we want to find Chuck and Sarah."

"Goodbye Major."

"Goodbye General." Casey handed the phone back to the soldier then sat down next to Laura while the medic dressed his wound. When he was finished they armed themselves then climbed into the truck and headed to Abisko.

**Safe house Abisko**

Chuck pulled on his jeans and socks then crossed the room to retrieve his shirt.

Sarah crawled out of the blankets and stood in front of him. "Chuck honey?"

He turned around to see a very naked angel standing in front of him. "Maybe you should put some clothes on."

"Don't you like?"

"What's not to like? Didn't I just worship that body over and over?"

"So what's the problem?"

"Don't tempt me."

"Why would I tempt you?"

"Because you're good at it and because I'm a weak hot blooded male."

"Maybe we need to toughen you up a bit." Sarah sauntered over to him as he started to put his shirt on.

"I think that you've dealt with my weakness for long enough; we need to focus on the box."

"Party pooper," Sarah said and started to walk away but Chuck grabbed her arm and turned her around. She smiled and stood on her tippy toes. "Changed your mind?"

"No but nice try. Here's your bra and underwear."

After she was dressed in her underwear Chuck started to wrap the tensor around her ribs. He leaned in and gave her a kiss each time he rewrapped the tensor. By the time he was done Sarah needed to go out and fall into the snow to cool off.

"Feel better?"

"And you say I'm cruel."

Chuck smiled then grabbed the box and placed it on the table.

Sarah finished dressing, tossed another log on the fire then joined him.

Chuck brushed off the dirt and rust that had accumulated over the years then retrieved the key and cipher from his vest. He placed the items on the table and looked at the box. There was no keyhole or puzzle to solve. "If it's not the key and we've already used the globe then what opens the box?"

"I don't know," Sarah admitted. "Could we pry the lid off?"

"Maybe," Chuck replied picking the box up to examine it more closely.

Sarah heard the satellite phone ringing and got up to retrieve it. She walked back over to Chuck as she answered it. "Hello."

"Sarah?"

"Who is this?"

"Oh sorry, it's Mary and Stephen."

Chuck looked at Sarah then the phone.

"Is Chuck with you?"

Chuck swallowed hard. It had been hard enough to hear his mom's voice but this time it was his dad which added to his emotional parental rollercoaster.

"Yes he's here," Sarah confirmed.

"Charles?"

Chuck hesitated and Sarah grabbed his hand and squeezed it whispering, "It'll be ok."

"Charles?"

"Yeah, I'm here dad."

"Son, it's good to hear your voice again."

"You too dad."

"I know that you probably have a lot of questions and that you're angry with me. I don't blame you but you need to know that your mom and I love you dearly."

"Go on."

"Your mom tells me that you're in possession of the box?"

"Yeah but I can't open it."

"Precisely."

"What do you mean?"

"Son, this mission needs to go as planned. It has taken 20 years to get to this point and each moment from now on needs to go step by step in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled."

"What steps?"

"Well you were to receive the intersect from Larkin as directed from me then hook up with Major Casey and Agent Walker. I understand that things are going very well with Sarah, way to go son."

Chuck's cheeks went a dark red.

"Anyways you were supposed to obtain the data and Intel from the three mines then head over to Laos to find the key and globe, decipher my riddle and end up where you are now with the box. Larkin dying, you finding Laura and Sarah ending up here with us were not part of the plan."

"That still doesn't help us open the box."

"Son, have you figured out the riddle yet?"

"I know that Sarah and I are White Tiger and White Swan and that we need to put an end to the battle between good and evil. After the battle between the CIA and Fulcrum it caused a huge riff. You felt that the world's secrets needed to be safe so you put them into a program that developed them into visual files in the intersect which you had Bryce give to me.

"Yes son."

"You knew the files wouldn't be safe if Fulcrum aka Fornax aka Cygnus got their hands on them so you shut them down and ran. Your goal was to have the intersect set up as a teaching tool not a weapon of mass destruction. If the cipher fell into the wrong hands anything could be downloaded into agents causing chaos within the CIA. If that happened the situation would spiral out of control. So yes dad, I've figured most of it out but I'm having trouble with the last line of the riddle." He recited the last line.

_"I have memory awareness but I have no shape or form – I am dead and yet unborn. Six stars of the Northern Cross – the x-ray is her siren song."_

"Ok dad what has no memory? I figured that we can't always rely on our minds to help us think, to understand logic and our individual reasoning but what can we rely on? Our hearts? Our intuition?"

"I can't tell you exactly but I can tell you that you're so close to figuring this out. You're right, we can't always rely on our minds to help us think and understand logic but you're on the right track every time you use your heart. You have the biggest heart that anyone will ever have. That's why I knew I could trust you with the intersect. I know it hasn't agreed with you, your flashes having been giving you headaches but in time it will work and what you choose to do with it will help a lot of people. Some people are asked to be heroes and others are destined to be heroes. Which one are you Charles?"

"I'm not sure dad. All I know is that I need to open this box."

"One you see the 'light' it will all make sense. I've got to go; we've talked for too long as it is. We'll be in touch son. We love you."

The phone went dead.

"Dad?" Chuck ran his hands through his hair then pushed himself away from the table.

Sarah knew he needed some time alone so she picked up her flashlight and shone it around the edges of the box as she guided her fingers around the seams.

Chuck sat on the edge of the couch watching Sarah then he noticed a depression on the side of the box. He quickly moved to sit next to Sarah. "I think I saw something." He tilted the box upwards to get a better look from a different angle then felt along the imprint. It was a slight depression in the metal almost as if it had been hit hard with something then covered up again. He picked up his knife, scored the spot and cut around it then peeled the thin piece of metal back. He used his knife to pop the top off and he and Sarah smiled at each other when they saw the keyhole.

"You did it Chuck!"

"We did it," he replied. "You were the light the whole time."

"No it was your intuition and curiosity that did it."

Chuck turned the box to get a better look at the keyhole. Sarah grabbed the key and gave it to him.

"You do it," Chuck insisted. "You missed out on deciphering my dad's riddle so I think you should have the honor of opening the box."

Sarah kissed him then inserted the key into the keyhole. They both heard a click then the lid popped open. Chuck lifted the lid and stared at what looked like a really old record player that played 45s but when he examined it more carefully he realized that it was a unique version of a CD burner with a hand print under the glass. He flipped the switch to activate it then stared at the contents of the box.

Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck. "You did it Chuck. We did it. How do you think it works?"

Chuck shook his head. "I don't know. If it's a burner then the disc that Bryce gave me has to play a part in this but why would Shaw need it? Unless ..."

"Unless what?"

He got up and walked around the room. "Unless the burner duplicates."

"Duplicates all the discs we found in Laos?"

"And by doing that anyone could have their very own copy of the …."

"Intersect," Sarah finished for him.

"Right babe, exactly." Chuck ran to Sarah and gave her hug. "The discs need to be completed. We only found plain copper discs; the one that Bryce gave me looks more advanced."

Sarah retrieved the disc from Chuck's backpack noticing the blood stains that were still on it. "Maybe Bryce had the original copy that he got from the DNI and maybe this is your dad's other copy that has been locked away until recently. Perhaps your dad gave it to Bryce to give to you and maybe he had several other copies and when things got hairy your dad combined all the data onto one disc and gave it to Bryce which is the one we are now in possession of."

"You're brilliant Sarah."

"So this cipher has the ability to download or destroy something so that no one else can use this burner or duplicate anymore ciphers and use them for evil."

"Maybe Sarah but when we will know when to try it?"

"Later Sherlock. Let's get some rest and hopefully by morning we can get out of here."

"Sarah, we can't stop now!"

"Chuck it's time to stop. You need to rest that brain of yours."

"Yes ma'am." He followed Sarah to the mattress and they cuddled under the blankets. They were mentally exhausted. Chuck covered Sarah with the blankets.

"We got some good use of these blankets."

"I guess we did…we might have to continue using them in a professional way of course."

"Of course….Love you."

"Love you too."

Chuck and Sarah's eyes quickly closed and all that could be heard was the crackling of the fire.

Chuck rolled over. His eyes fixed on the window and he swore he saw a shadowy figure lurking outside. He got up and grabbed his gun and flashlight. He crossed the room and opened the door. The weather was cool but the snow had melted. He walked outside and was approached by the shadowy figure and thrown to the ground.

"You thought that you would get away from me, that you and your pathetic partner would walk away with the contents of the box. Did she cry to you about what I did to her? I enjoyed every minute of it. She enjoyed it too. She needed a real man to make her into the woman but you couldn't step up to the plate. She is marked, she's damaged goods…."

Chuck got up and aimed his gun at Shaw.

"You don't have the guts to pull the trigger," Shaw drawled. "You're not man enough." He walked closer to Chuck.

"Sarah was and always will be more of a person than you'll ever be. You didn't break her, you made her stronger and yes I do have the guts to pull the trigger. Say goodbye to your pathetic life as you so like to use the phrase." He cocked the gun.

"Chuck!" Sarah quickly shook Chuck to wake him up. "Chuck?"

"What?"

"Someone, I hear someone…."

Chuck had to regain his bearings. Was he still dreaming? "What's wrong?"

"I heard a noise outside." Sarah got up and quickly put her boots and jacket on. She grabbed her guns and the bag that Mary had given her.

Chuck ran to the table, closed the lid on the box and grabbed the cipher.

Sarah tossed water on the fire and it quickly fizzled out so that it wouldn't catch the attention of people outside. She hoped that there was no wind so the smell of the fire would quickly dissipate.

They peeked over and saw huge lights engulfing the lake. The noise sounded like a huge tractors then they spotted a huge snow tracker truck almost like the ones that were used to travel over glaciers. The truck stopped and a few soldiers jumped out.

"I just need the box- anyone else can die," Shaw instructed his men.

When Chuck saw the fear in Sarah's eyes when she recognized Shaw he knew he had to take care of him once and for all.

Sarah waited as the soldiers headed towards the cabin. She counted six including Shaw and the driver. The lone soldiers climbed over the hill that led to the cabin. Sarah got ready and quietly lifted the window open just enough to aim her rifle.

Chuck stayed low. This was Sarah's area and he knew not to interfere with it. He had to stay low and keep the box safe.

As soon as Sarah got a visual she wasted no time, she fired hitting the soldier dead on. The other one fired back and Sarah clipped him as well. The others followed and a saloon type brawl engulfed the once quiet lake. Sarah was running low on ammo. She needed to cause a diversion so she could grab the guns of the dead men nearby but she couldn't leave Chuck. They were sitting ducks inside the cabin.

Shaw climbed to the top of the truck and yelled down towards the cabin. "So Agents Walker and Carmichael, the storm didn't end you; that's too bad. How about we make a deal? You hand over the box and I won't kill you."

"You don't know what fair play is Shaw!"

"Agent Walker, so nice to hear from you. How's the injury? I'm guessing that Carmichael is taking care of you. Of course he is. But if you're tired of a loser like him you can always have a real man like me."

Chuck got up.

"No Chuck, this is what he wants. He wants you to react. Promise me you won't."

"Why do you want the box?" Chuck called to Shaw.

"Why not? It looks like a real keepsake. Once in a while I get a little nostalgic and I like to have things that once belonged to my parents."

"This box never belonged to your dad."

"Yes it did," Shaw insisted. "It was stolen by that loathe of a man Stephen Bartowski now hand it over."

"Never!"

Shaw got down in a huff as he walked away from the truck he grabbed a small missile type weapon and shot a few cans of tear gas into the cabin.

Sarah and Chuck exited and hid near the wood pile. Shaw aimed the truck's spotlight at the cabin. Smoke engulfed it and could be seen exiting the door. He waited for the smoke to clear and when more of his men showed up he directed them to various places surrounding the cabin.

Sarah noticed that one of the guns had slid down the small hill towards the cabin. She slid over, grabbed it and returned to the wood pile. The area was one big light show so there weren't many places to hide and it was hard for her to see if anyone was coming then she saw an opening to her left. "Chuck we need to get out from the light. There is an opening that I need you to get to. From there we'll have a better view on things around here."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You don't have a choice. I need you to be safe."

Chuck looked over his shoulder. He had many years of duck hunt experience and knew he could shoot the light out. He waited till Sarah turned to look at Shaw then he grabbed her gun and stood up.

Sarah tried to bring him down again but Chuck stayed where he was, aimed the gun at the light and fired. Sarah pulled him down as the sky went dark and flashes of sparks exploded near the truck. She scoured the area then looked at Chuck.

It was the most disappointing look Chuck had ever seen her give him so he knew he'd made a big mistake but he had to do what needed to be done. He had to protect Sarah as much as she needed to protect him.

**Enroute to Abisko**

Casey and Laura headed over the hill and as they approached the other side they were greeted with a light show of sparks and flashes and knew that they were getting closer. Laura pressed the gas down and tried to shorten their arrival time. When she saw cars in the distance she skidded to a stop and jumped out of the car. She grabbed their gear and saw Casey take a few deep breaths as he limped out of the car. "You going to be ok?"

"Yes, we have to do this and quickly."

Laura and Casey ducked in and out of the trees and came up on the far left side of the cabin. Casey scanned the area with night vision goggles and saw Chuck and Sarah crouched down near the wood pile. He gave Laura the goggles and she too saw where they were hiding. She also saw Shaw and his men planning something but she couldn't tell what.

Casey slid down the embankment and snuck up to the cabin. Laura followed but circled around the back. Casey could see Chuck hanging onto the box and Sarah keeping an eye on Shaw. He needed to get Chuck's attention without alarming Sarah into a gun brawl so he picked up a few pine cones and tossed them at Chuck. When the third pine cone landed on Chuck's leg he looked up and quickly patted Sarah on the shoulder. She turned around and Chuck pointed to Casey. Sarah looked up and mouthed 'where is my mom?'

Casey pointed to the other side. Sarah urged Chuck to head towards Casey.

Casey drew his gun and aimed it at Shaw as Chuck crawled towards him and Sarah followed. Once they were safe Sarah settled down.

Chuck noticed Casey limping. "What happened to you?"

"Keep it down, it's a flesh wound now zip it. What's going on Walker?"

"Your typical scenario – bad guy wants said item and bad guy wants to kill said good guy."

Casey shook his head.

"Shaw needs the box. We opened it last night. It some sort of burner which can duplicate large amounts of data."

"Like ciphers?"

"Exactly."

"Orion told Chuck that he had to make the right choice."

"Well that doesn't help us Walker, does it?"

"It's up to Chuck now. I've done all that I can with the prophecy."

Casey could tell that Chuck had a big decision to make, one that would affect many people's lives and even his own. He led Chuck and Sarah to the other side of the cabin. Laura had clipped a few of Shaw's men. Sarah embraced her mom. Laura was so happy to see her daughter. Chuck smiled as he saw Sarah hugging her mom. He longed to have a similar reunion with his parents. He had to thank the man upstairs for the chance to hear their voices even if it had been brief.

Laura walked over to Chuck and gave him a hug. She saw that he was still hanging onto the box. She hadn't seen it in over 20 years since she had helped Stephen build it and Mary had stashed it. She resumed her post as Sarah knelt down beside her.

"It looks like Shaw is planning something," Laura whispered. "We need to get you and Chuck back to our truck so we can get out of here."

"Where's the truck?"

"Over the hill behind where Casey came down to find you."

"Ok, I'll grab Chuck and head to the truck while you cover us. We'll wait there for you and Casey."

Laura regarded her daughter with a look of concern. "How are you doing?"

"I can't wait for this mission to be over," Sarah whispered. "As for the other stuff, the bruises will eventually heal."

"Did Chuck find out?"

"Yeah," Sarah whispered. "He was very upset and I'm afraid he'll do something that goes against his very nature. He's not a killer, he never was. It's funny, an agent who doesn't like to kill and …."

"And what?"

"Who doesn't like guns," Sarah finished. "I don't like him having a gun either but the adorable idiot took my gun and shot the spotlight out earlier."

"Well honey if it wasn't for that adorable idiot we wouldn't have been here as fast as we were. He means well."

"I know and that's what I am afraid of."

Casey walked over them. "Ready to go?"

Sarah nodded and beckoned to Chuck to come closer.

"Ok you guys head back while we cause a distraction," Laura told them.

Chuck and Sarah made their way around the back of the cabin and headed over the hill to the truck.

Casey and Laura headed towards Shaw.

Chuck was just crossing the hill when Shaw noticed their shadowy figures outlined in the moonlight. He told his men to watch the cabin and headed up the path.

Chuck and Sarah made their way towards the truck, it was further than they had expected. Chuck walked behind Sarah. She kept her eye on the path ahead.

Chuck followed closely with his head up and noticed a beam of red aim at the back of Sarah's head. When he looked back and saw Shaw behind them he pushed Sarah out of the way and behind the truck.

Shaw fired and Sarah was quick to retaliate. He stood up and yelled, "We can put an end to this if you just hand over the box like I asked you to."

"Come and get it." Chuck yelled back.

"Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"You said it – you're stupid but not that stupid."

"I never pictured you as a comedian Carmichael, a poor excuse for a man but not a comedian. I guess you've seen what I did to your girlfriend."

Chuck's temperature rose. He could feel his anger increase the more Shaw spoke.

"Walker, was it as good for you as it was for me?"

Chuck tried to stand up.

"Don't give him what he wants," Sarah hissed. "He's not worth it."

"Sarah don't you hear him? I can't let him say that about you."

"What are you going to do? Give him the box?" Sarah looked at Chuck. "You're not!"

"Of course not but he needs to be silenced."

Sarah lay down on the ground trying to ascertain Shaw's whereabouts. When she saw nothing she moved to the side of the truck. "Stay here."

Chuck pouted as Sarah made her way around the side. The path led to a high point in the road which allowed her to see Chuck and the path at the same time. She aimed her gun at where she thought Shaw was standing then felt a gun pointing at her head. She raised her hands and her gun was removed from her hand. She slowly turned around to see the man holding her gun was Shaw.

"Two can play this game Agent Walker." Shaw slapped Sarah across the face.

Sarah could feel her warm blood dripping down her cheek. "Call Carmichael and tell him it's ok for him to come to you."

Sarah hesitated.

Shaw gave her some encouragement and punched her in the stomach.

"Ok Ok…Agent Carmichael…..it's ok to head up here."

Chuck was startled by the way Sarah had addressed him and instantly knew something wasn't right. He hid the box under the back wheel of the truck and walked out.

Shaw dragged Sarah down the hill. "Agent Carmichael nice of you to follow instructions."

"I didn't have a choice."

"So the box."

"What about it?"

"You either give it to me or she dies."

"You don't have the guts! You're all talk. You don't even have a clue how to use the box so why would I give it to you?"

"Because it belongs to me."

"No it doesn't, it belongs to my …"

"You're what?" Shaw grabbed Sarah tighter.

Chuck tried not to react. He knew that he needed to choose his words carefully.

"You're what?" Shaw repeated his question.

Sarah shook her head. She didn't want Shaw to know who Chuck really was.

"My…..my agency…..it belongs to my agency…the CIA….not you!"

"Interesting choice of words. It would have been more believable if you had said your dad or something – Walker's mom is part of this so why not Bartowski's children?"

Chuck tried not to react. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

"If you let Agent Walker go I might consider giving you the box. What else do you have to lose?"

"Walker needs to pay for killing my mom so I don't think a switch is going to be enough."

"Fine, no box. I'll go and get rid of it." Chuck walked back to the truck and grabbed the box just as Shaw approached him with Sarah in hand.

When Shaw saw the box he was momentarily distracted and Sarah was able to release his hold. Chuck swung the box hitting Shaw in the head and knocking him to the ground. Sarah grabbed her gun and ran to Chuck. He opened his arms and embraced her but as he went for the box Shaw scissor kicked him to the ground then threw a punch at Sarah knocking her against the back of the truck. Sarah hit the truck hard and slid to the ground. Chuck looked Sarah then glared at Shaw and tried to flash.

As soon as Sarah saw him trying to flash she yelled to him to stop but it was too late. Shaw had seen it to.

Shaw ran towards Chuck yelling, "You're a Bartowski!"

Chuck's flash had not completed itself. He tried to flash again but the flashes felt like they were short circuiting in his head.

Shaw tackled Chuck to the ground, straddled him and delivered several blows to Chuck's face then he placed his cold hands around Chuck's neck.

"A Bartowski….this whole time…..I am going to put an end to your dad's career and make him pay by killing his son. Your dad was a pathetic loser. I hope that the last few breaths you take you'll remember how I enjoyed every minute of touching her girlfriend's skin and each time I close my eyes her time with me will keep me warm at night. And as for your dad, he'll die a lonely man knowing that his nemesis killed his only son."

Chuck tried to gain enough strength to push Shaw off him. He looked at Sarah and saw that she was unconscious. He tried to flash again but nothing happened. As he tried to release Shaw's grip he remembered what Sarah had once told him. When in doubt, let your assailant think that they've won. They will loosen their grip once you stop resisting and when the time is right step up to the plate.

Chuck slowed down his breathing and released his hold on Shaw's arms. Shaw instinctively eased his grip. When Chuck felt that it was the right time he bent Shaw's thumbs back forcing him to release his grip completely. Chuck palmed Shaw's chin knocking him over then he sprang to his feet holding his throat, coughing and trying to catch his breath. He tried to flash again but the flashes still weren't coming.

Shaw got up and ran towards Chuck who continued to hold his own despite the lack of flashes. Shaw threw a hard punch that knocked Chuck to the ground. His arm hit the ground hard jolting his watch. He lay on his back for a few seconds trying to focus. He looked up and saw green, blue and pink swirling in the sky and as he looked beyond the aurora he saw the big dipper. He was going in and out of consciousness as he tried to gain control of memories that threw him back to when he recalled downloading some weird stuff when he was a kid, the Tron poster, camping trips, meeting Sarah and the tree house, stories of black holes, big dippers and the phrase Our Destiny, making love to Sarah the first time, Spyro pizza and thousands of other images then his brain started to replay everything he'd found out about the prophecy.

_The prophecy has been told- thy battled through the ages but still neither force would yield._

_Ok dad where are you going with this? Are you telling us that Fulcrum and the CIA were battling way before this? Who knew about this prophecy besides you and Sarah's parents? Beckman? Kovac?_

_The people were divided every soul a Battlefield._

_The CIA and Fulcrum were divided – makes sense – each wanted the CIA to be something other than what it appeared._

_White Swan - Bring truth and understanding, folly and Wisdom, precious gifts beyond compare._

_Way too easy here dad – being a nerd I guess has its benefits. The intersect would be the precious gifts I presume._

_To the heart of Cygnus fearsome - Force we set our course spiralled - through that timeless space._

_Kovac, Kathy, Shaw and Klinger were project Cygnus while you and the rest of your team were project Omaha dad. You feared that if Cygnus got off the planning room floor then what you had put together would not be a teaching tool but a weapon of mass destruction. If the cipher got into the wrong hands anything could be downloaded into agents causing chaos within the walls of the CIA. If that happened its effects would spiral out of control._

_I have memory awareness but I have no shape or form – I am dead and yet unborn. Six stars of the Northern Cross – the x-ray is her siren song._

_Ok dad you got me here. What has no memory? I know that we can't always rely on our minds to help us think, to understand logic and our individual reasoning but what can we rely on? Our hearts? Our intuition? _

_The black hole gains control – the black hole – Black holes are the cold remnants of former stars so dense that no matter—not even light—is able to escape their powerful gravitational pull. Black holes are small in size…_

Chuck came to mouthing 'black holes…the black hole gains control. Small in size they pack a punch. He stood up as Shaw headed for the box. Chuck looked at Shaw as he stood up straight.

Shaw stopped and aimed his gun at Chuck. "You don't give up, do you?" He fired the gun.

Chuck flashed without the onslaught of pain or static images. He leaned to the side as the bullet flew past him then he walked over to Shaw who was trying to reload his gun. He grabbed Shaw's neck and squeezed then threw him to the ground. He stood over him and all the anger he had bottled up inside was released on Shaw. He picked him up and threw him against a tree.

Shaw slowly got up and tried to hold his own but he was no match for Chuck.

Chuck grabbed Shaw, stood behind him and placed his head in a locked grip. He squeezed Shaw's head against his arms and could hear gurgling as Shaw struggled to breathe.

Sarah came to and crawled to the side of the truck. When she saw Chuck holding Shaw in a choke hold she screamed at him to stop. When she saw Shaw wasn't moving she yelled at Chuck to let him go. Chuck didn't relax his grip and she yelled again. This time he heard her and let go of Shaw.

Shaw's limp body fell to the ground the snow soaking up the blood that dripped from his face.

Chuck fell to his knees and Sarah ran over and held him in her arms.

"Sarah," he croaked his voice raspy from when Shaw had squeezed his throat.

Casey and Laura arrived to find Chuck and Sarah kneeling in the snow.

Shaw slowly mustard the strength to reach for his gun then he stood up and aimed it at them.

Chuck saw him, grabbed Casey's gun and fired a lone shot hitting Shaw dead center. Shaw fell back down and the fresh snow encased his body.

Sarah brought Chuck's arm down as Casey took the gun from him.

Casey and Laura walked over to Shaw's body then Casey looked back at Chuck and Sarah and nodded.

Chuck closed his eyes and staggered over to the box, opened up the tailgate and placed the box down. He grabbed the cipher and stared at it. He had to make a decision that would affect not only him but Sarah and the whole world. He looked at the disc. "So this must be it dad. We've fulfilled our destiny. The White swan and White Tiger have saved the world from evil but what about the disc? If Shaw was willing to kill for it then it has to be very important." Chuck knew that the burner had the power to duplicate and this disc could be the original disc but what if it wasn't? What if this disc was the destroyer? Would it be able to do its job? Would the world be safer if this disc was destroyed? If Shaw could build his own variation of the intersect then it was possible for others to do it as well. The only thing that prevented them from doing so was the burner. It was the final key. Its ability to duplicate could make a world of difference.

_Like the black hole, though small it is capable to do wonders. Like me I am just one man._

Chuck turned on the burner. The lights flashed and the glass image of a hand lit up like a rainbow. He took one last look at the cipher.

"It's the world or me. Am I that hero?"

He inserted the cipher until he heard a click then the disc started to spin faster and faster. The small monitor above the glass hand read:

UPLOAD INTERSECT

YES OR NO

Sarah approached the back of the truck and read the words out loud.

Chuck looked at her with those brown puppy dog eyes then lowered his right hand placing it on the glass hand.

"Chuck, don't," Sarah exclaimed. "You don't know what it will do to you. What about us?"

"We did it babe – we saved the world. I just need to make sure that it stays safe."

"That's not part of the prophecy – we had to stop the evil and we did."

"I shot a man Sarah. What good is that?"

"You saved me, my mom and Casey and you saved yourself."

"I have to do this." Chuck placed his hand on the glass again.

"Chuck, you don't have to do this!"

Casey and Laura ran back to the truck as Chuck pressed YES. He stood motionless as the burner scanned his hand keeping his eyes on the small screen.

When the screen lit up Casey yelled to everyone to close their eyes.

Chuck continued to stare at the screen as thousands of images flashed before him then the burner quieted down and the area darkened again. His eyes were still fluttering when Sarah opened hers. The burner had stopped spinning and she read the message on the screen.

ACES CHARLES

The screen went black, the disc cracked and the burner shut down.

Chuck started to lose his stance and Casey and Laura helped him to the ground. Chuck was sweating and covered in blood from his fight with Shaw.

Sarah held Chuck as a new day dawned and the sky started to get lighter then the area was suddenly swarming with army personnel and rescue teams. By the time Chuck was strapped into the helicopter he still hadn't regained consciousness. Sarah sat down next to him as the doors closed.

**Undisclosed Medical Facility near Oslo Norway**

It has been two days since Chuck downloaded the intersect again. Beckman had flown in to assess the situation and after Casey had filled her in she headed down the hall to Chuck's room. She peeked into the room and saw Sarah curled up against him; it looked like she'd been there all night. Beckman turned on her heel and smiled as she walked back to the waiting room.

Casey tried to stand up.

"Sit down Major."

Casey sat down.

Laura walked in holding some coffee.

When Beckman helped herself to a cup of coffee, picked up a magazine and sat down Laura and Casey looked at each their surprise evident. Beckman stayed till night fall.

**Three Weeks Later**

Beckman had ordered Chuck to take some RnR but he'd had enough of Norway and wanted to go home. Ever since he'd regained consciousness he'd had an uneasy feeling in his chest as he tried to fully understand what he'd done. By the time the Airbus landed at LAX he looked awful. As per Ellie and Beckman's orders Sarah wheeled Chuck off the plane. He had thought about resisting but didn't dare go against his sister and the General's orders. Sarah wheeled him to the SUV as Casey limped down the ramp followed by Laura.

When they stopped next to the car Chuck got up, took off his sunglasses and looked around. His eyes were still somewhat swollen. "It's so good to be home again."

Sarah gave him a hug. "It is indeed." She helped him into the car then walked over to her mom and gave her directions to her hotel.

"Thanks honey but I can stay somewhere else."

"Yeah you can but you're not so deal."

"I'll be at Chuck's then we need to meet with Beckman sooner or later."

"Do you want me to come with you when you talk to the General?"

"No we need to come clean and Chuck and I have lots of paperwork to do. When we come back we'll show you Castle and introduce you to Chuck's sister and boyfriend."

"I look forward to that."

Another SUV arrived. Sarah looked at her mom then the car. Laura gave her daughter a hug.

Sarah returned the hug. She'd learned from Chuck that you could never give or receive enough hugs.

"Lisa I'm thankful for this mission because otherwise I might never have seen you again. I'm proud of the woman you've become and I'm sorry that I wasn't there to see you grow up but your dad did a good job."

Sarah smiled at her mom. "Are you going to find him?"

"Maybe," Laura replied. "We did promise that when this was over we would look for each other. Stephen and Mary are already looking into it."

Laura looked towards Chuck. "Honey he'll be ok."

"I know, I know."

She kissed Sarah on the cheek and climbed into the back seat of the SUV. Casey jumped in on the other side.

"You can come with us Casey."

"I think you and Bartowski could use some one on one time."

Sarah smiled at him. "Thanks Casey, we'll see you soon."

He nodded and as soon as he closed his door the SUV drove off.

Sarah walked back to their SUV and got in on the other side as the driver closed the door.

A short while later Chuck walked into his apartment. It hadn't changed; everything was exactly the way he'd left it three months ago. Sarah walked in behind him and closed the door. Chuck walked around the apartment taking it all in.

Sarah walked into the kitchen and saw a note from Ellie. "Hey Chuck your sister left you a note."

Chuck walked into the kitchen and read the note.

_Welcome home Chuck, rest and we will talk soon. I have a 72 hour shift then we're flying to Chicago to attend a medical conference so we'll see you both after that. Enjoy your time alone you two. Also, you got a letter from an Orion Frost? Anyways love you both talk soon._

_Love Ellie and Devon _

Chuck looked at the pile of mail and gave half of it to Sarah to look through. He came to the last few letters in his pile when Sarah found the one from Orion Frost. They sat down on the couch. Chuck couldn't focus too well so Sarah opened the letter and read it out loud.

_Our dearest Chuck and Sarah, if you're reading this it means you are safe and sound. From the bottom of our hearts we are forever grateful for your sacrifice to complete this prophecy. The world is a safer place thanks to you. _

_Sarah, we want to thank you for loving our son and caring for him like you do. Having you at Chuck's side made this journey so much sweeter. It is obvious that you are both in it for the long haul and we couldn't be happier. We just hope that when you guys have kids Chuck doesn't make them wear capes. _

_Chuck, I know that you have a lot of questions and you know that having downloaded the intersect again it will bring a lot of confusion but if you continue to wear the watch that Sarah gave you your flashes will not overtake your brain as it was doing before. The governor balances the amount of data running through your brain when you flash just like a car coolant cools its engine. I promise that one day soon we will meet in person and I look forward to seeing the man you've become. Your mom and I love you dearly and we're so proud of Ellie too. Take care son and remember that even if you're small in numbers you can do amazing things. Aces Charles!_

_Love Mom and Dad_

Sarah folded the letter and placed it on the table then she curled up on the couch with Chuck. He held her in his arms as the clock ticked in the kitchen then Sarah said, "I am proud of you."

"We did it together," he said smiling at her.

**One Week Later**

Chuck fulfilled a promise that he'd made to Sarah weeks ago and took her to a place that meant a lot to them. It was the place that they had lied about to Bryce and said it was being renovated. Over the last week they'd rested and spent some time getting reacquainted with Laura. They hadn't slept together since that time in the Cabin in Norway and as they strolled down the street they knew that tonight was going to be special. Chuck admired Sarah's purple dress and she thought he looked handsome in the black shirt and jeans he was wearing. Beckman was sending a plane for them tomorrow night to take them to Washington but tonight was theirs to enjoy without interference from anyone.

Chuck held Sarah's hand as they strolled towards their destination. When he saw that they were approaching the restaurant he stopped and gave Sarah a kiss that curled her toes. When she came up for air she said, "If you continue to kiss me like that we'll have to end this evening early."

"And that would be a bad idea why?"

Sarah smiled and kissed him but not as passionately this time. She didn't want to eat her words. She looked up and saw the Spyro sign.

"Your date awaits you my dear," Chuck said. "Our first official date Agent Walker." He opened the door and Sarah preceded him into the restaurant.

A few hours later desert followed back at the apartment. Chuck unzipped Sarah's dress and it fell to the floor. He walked Sarah backwards as he kissed her until her calves touched the bed then he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. Chuck towered over Sarah as she unbuttoned his shirt. She kissed him with each button that she undid and after the fifth or sixth kiss he was almost losing control. Sarah noticed Chuck trying to focus. She loved that she could get him going. She had him in the palm of her hand and loved it. She slowly removed his shirt then went for his button and zipper on his jeans.

Chuck shimmied out of his jeans then caressed Sarah as their bodies slowly became naked. He lay on his back as Sarah straddled him. They embraced their freedom and each minute that they spent together because they knew that tomorrow they had to face the music. What they had worked so hard for could all end with Beckman. They knew that they had to come clean but tonight none of that matter. Chuck rolled Sarah over and as they became one and each time after that it felt like the first time.

The sun peeked through the courtyard and through Chuck's bedroom window. He'd been awake for hours watching Sarah sleep and running through everything in his head.

When Sarah woke up and saw the worried look on his face she knew he was thinking about killing Shaw and what he would say to Beckman. She realized that the mission had changed them. It had brought them closer together but what Chuck was carrying with him was something the CIA hadn't prepared them for.

**Washington DC 21:00 **

Chuck and Sarah walked the halls of the CIA facility in Washington. Chuck had worn a suit and Sarah was dressed in her standard CIA blues. Chuck sat nervously on the chair wiping his hands on his pants. Sarah grabbed his hand and held it. Suddenly the doors opened and a young officer called them in.

Chuck and Sarah entered the office and sat facing Beckman's desk.

Beckman turned to face them. "Good evening Agents Bartowski and Walker."

"Good evening General," they both replied.

"You're looking better Chuck."

"Thank you General."

"Agent Walker, how are you?"

"Fine General, all rested up and ready to go back to work."

"Yes indeed work."

Chuck and Sarah instantly froze.

"I've read your reports as well as those of Major Casey and Agent Aquila."

Chuck looked confused when he heard the last agent's name.

Beckman smiled briefly. "I guess I should address her as Laura Burton until I finalize her papers."

"You're re-instating my mom General?"

Beckman nodded. "She's a fine agent just like you; I want her on my team."

"Thank you General."

"So back to business. Like I said, I've read your reports and everything seems ok at this end. Is there anything that you wish to share with me?"

Chuck took a deep breath, looked at Sarah then back at the General. "I guess I need to ... we need to…"

"General what Chuck is trying to say is that our relationship, our…."

"Sarah and I are…."

Beckman's head was flipping back and forth as if she was watching a tennis match. All the back and forth was making her dizzy. "You two can stop the drama; you sound like a bunch of school girls. I know about you two."

"What?"

"I have for a long time now and it was confirmed in Oslo so whatever you wanted to say save it for someone who cares."

Chuck and Sarah knew that this could be it.

"I don't condemn relationships between agents but mixing your personal relationship with your professional one can be tricky. If it interferes with you doing your job then I have a problem with it."

"But General we have…."

"I want to know that what is going on here between you two will continue to flourish and not cause friction with team Bartowski."

"Of course General," Chuck replied.

"Agent Bartowski, you will report to Castle at 09:00 on Monday to train with Major Casey; he's relieved that your relationship with Agent Walker is finally out in the open." When they didn't reply she said, "That's all for now. Enjoy your time on me while you're in Washington. I hear that Spyro pizza is good. You're dismissed."

Chuck and Sarah slowly got up both looking a little shell shocked by the unexpected stamp of approval from Beckman. Chuck looked at the General who quickly turned her smile into her famous I 'mean business' look. "Goodnight Agents Walker and Bartowski."

"Good night General," they chimed together. Chuck turned the knob on the door and they quickly left the office and walked in silence to the elevator. Chuck pressed the button, the doors opened and they stepped into the elevator. The doors closed behind them and they stared at each other wondering what had just happened.

Sarah was the first to snap out of it. She grabbed Chuck's hand. "Would my adorable boyfriend please press the button for the ground floor?"

Chuck obliged and settled his hand on the nape of Sarah's neck.

They walked out of the CIA building wondering what the future held for them. Chuck looked up at the stars and in the distance he saw the big dipper. He smiled when his eyes were drawn back to Sarah. The car stopped in front of them and they got in. Chuck opened the sunroof and told the driver to just drive around for a while. As the driver took off there was more than sightseeing going on in the back seat of the car.

**Undisclosed location – Europe**

Stephen sat watching his wife knit booties. They were finally able to breathe easier but a true Bartowski never really stopped working. Stephen got up and grabbed his wife's hand. "The booties can wait till morning. Our flight to LA doesn't leave till next week so we have plenty of time. Let's get some sleep." He turned off the lights and headed upstairs. As they said goodnight to each other a lone light came on and the ticker tape screen blinked: BREACH. A lone message popped up on the screen with one word: SHAW.

THE END


End file.
